Government spending by function in Latvia
Latvia: Government spending by function was 31.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function in Latvia, 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 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.
Government spending by function in Latvia, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 22.9% | — |
| 2008 | 23.5% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 30.7% | +30.9% |
| 2010 | 30.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 29.6% | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 29.2% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 29.9% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 29.2% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 30.3% | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 31.3% | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 30.4% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 29.4% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 31.3% | +6.7% |
| 2020 | 30.7% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 30.0% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 31.7% | +5.7% |
| 2023 | 31.0% | -2.2% |
Latvia compared with similar countries
- Latvia's 31.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 85% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Latvia's 31.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.5%, 83% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending by function in Latvia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +30.9% | 23.5% | 30.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Latvia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.128 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0503 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.4657 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0673 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.4657 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2986 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2679 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3666 (2050)
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
General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by total government expenditure, expressed as a percentage.