Government spending by function in Australia
Australia: Government spending by function was 26.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending by function in Australia, 2007–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2023, government spending by function in Australia stood at 26.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function in Australia peaked at 29.4% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 25.0%, in 2019.
Australia ranks 31st of 37 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 27.1% | 25.2% | 29.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 25.8% | 25.0% | 26.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.8% | 25.3% | 26.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.4864 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 148.46 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function in Australia?
- Government spending by function in Australia was 26.5% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending by function recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.4% in 2008.
- What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.0% in 2019.
- How does Australia rank for government spending by function?
- Australia ranks 31st out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending by function. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by total government expenditure, expressed as a percentage.