Government spending by function in Latvia

Latvia: Government spending by function was 31.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
31.0%
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
26th
of 37 countries
All-time high
31.7%
in 2022
All-time low
22.9%
in 2007
Years of data
17
2007–2023

Government spending by function in Latvia, 2007–2023

01020302007201520232007: 22.9 % of government expenditure2008: 23.5 % of government expenditure2009: 30.7 % of government expenditure2010: 30.7 % of government expenditure2011: 29.6 % of government expenditure2012: 29.2 % of government expenditure2013: 29.9 % of government expenditure2014: 29.2 % of government expenditure2015: 30.3 % of government expenditure2016: 31.3 % of government expenditure2017: 30.4 % of government expenditure2018: 29.4 % of government expenditure2019: 31.3 % of government expenditure2020: 30.7 % of government expenditure2021: 30 % of government expenditure2022: 31.7 % of government expenditure2023: 31 % of government expenditure

Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government expenditure.

Analysis

In 2023, government spending by function in Latvia stood at 31.0%.

The figure is down 2.2% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending by function in Latvia peaked at 31.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 22.9%, in 2007.

That places Latvia 26th out of 37 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 25.7% 22.9% 30.7% 3
2010s 30.1% 29.2% 31.3% 10
2020s 30.8% 30.0% 31.7% 4

Countries ranked near Latvia

  1. 23 United Kingdom 32.9% compare
  2. 24 Romania 31.4% compare
  3. 25 Estonia 31.3% compare
  4. 27 Czechia 30.7% compare
  5. 28 Chile 30.4% compare
  6. 29 Israel 28.2% compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More reference data data for Latvia

All data for Latvia →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending by function in Latvia?
Government spending by function in Latvia was 31.0% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending by function recorded in Latvia?
The highest recorded value was 31.7% in 2022.
What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in Latvia?
The lowest recorded value was 22.9% in 2007.
How does Latvia rank for government spending by function?
Latvia ranks 26th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending by function rising or falling in Latvia?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Latvia 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

Indicator
Government spending by function
Unit
% of government expenditure
Source
OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
37 places, 618 data points, 2007–2024
Last refreshed

General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by total government expenditure, expressed as a percentage.