Government spending by function in Finland
Finland: Government spending by function was 46.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function in Finland, 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 Finland stood at 46.0%.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function in Finland peaked at 46.9% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 40.3%, in 2008.
That places Finland 1st out of 37 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Government spending by function in Finland, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 40.9% | — |
| 2008 | 40.3% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 41.6% | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 41.8% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 42.5% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 43.2% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 44.0% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 45.7% | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 46.8% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 46.9% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 46.6% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 46.2% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 45.7% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 45.4% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 45.3% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 46.0% | +1.6% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 46.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 1.3× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Finland's 46.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.5%, 1.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.9% | 40.3% | 41.6% | 3 |
| 2010s | 44.5% | 41.8% | 46.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.6% | 45.3% | 46.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More reference data data for Finland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2998 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1241 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1748 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6733 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.6503 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9518 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function in Finland?
- Government spending by function in Finland was 46.0% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending by function recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 46.9% in 2017.
- What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.3% in 2008.
- How does Finland rank for government spending by function?
- Finland ranks 1st out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Finland 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.