Government spending by function in Iceland
Iceland: Government spending by function was 23.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function in Iceland, 2007–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 23.9% for government spending by function in 2023.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function in Iceland peaked at 28.3% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 13.9%, in 2008.
That places Iceland 36th out of 37 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.3% | 13.9% | 20.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 22.5% | 20.9% | 28.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.3% | 23.3% | 27.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 33 Costa Rica 26.1% compare
- 34 Colombia 25.1% compare
- 35 Hungary 24.9% compare
- 37 United States 20.2% compare
More reference data data for Iceland
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.5453 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.1076 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.09 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.653 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 3.5 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 179.82 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 Iceland?
- Government spending by function in Iceland was 23.9% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending by function recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 28.3% in 2016.
- What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.9% in 2008.
- How does Iceland rank for government spending by function?
- Iceland ranks 36th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland 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.