Government spending by function in Italy
Italy: Government spending by function was 39.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function in Italy, 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 Italy stood at 39.3%.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function in Italy peaked at 44.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 37.2%, in 2007.
Italy ranks 10th of 37 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Government spending by function in Italy, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 37.2% | — |
| 2008 | 37.5% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 38.6% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 39.5% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 39.8% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 40.0% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 40.9% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 41.5% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 42.2% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 42.4% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 42.2% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 42.6% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 43.4% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 44.0% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 40.3% | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 39.0% | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 39.3% | +0.8% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 39.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.5%, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Italy's 39.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.8% | 37.2% | 38.6% | 3 |
| 2010s | 41.4% | 39.5% | 43.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.6% | 39.0% | 44.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More reference data data for Italy
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.927 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 8.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 41.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function in Italy?
- Government spending by function in Italy was 39.3% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending by function recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 44.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.2% in 2007.
- How does Italy rank for government spending by function?
- Italy ranks 10th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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.