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.
Government spending by function in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 26.7% | — |
| 2008 | 29.4% | +10.2% |
| 2009 | 25.2% | -14.3% |
| 2010 | 25.4% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 25.6% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 26.0% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 26.3% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 26.8% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 26.7% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 25.9% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 25.2% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 25.2% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 25.0% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 25.5% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 25.9% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 25.3% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 26.5% | +4.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 26.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 73% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
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
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
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.