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.
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
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.4267 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 2.76 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.5909 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.896 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.7 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 131.87 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 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.