Government spending by function in Poland

Poland: Government spending by function was 35.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
35.9%
Change on year
down 6.8%
World rank
20th
of 37 countries
All-time high
40.4%
in 2016
All-time low
35.1%
in 2008
Years of data
17
2007–2023

Government spending by function in Poland, 2007–2023

0102030402007201520232007: 36.4 % of government expenditure2008: 35.1 % of government expenditure2009: 35.8 % of government expenditure2010: 35.6 % of government expenditure2011: 35.2 % of government expenditure2012: 36.3 % of government expenditure2013: 37.5 % of government expenditure2014: 37.5 % of government expenditure2015: 37.7 % of government expenditure2016: 40.4 % of government expenditure2017: 39.8 % of government expenditure2018: 39 % of government expenditure2019: 39.9 % of government expenditure2020: 37.5 % of government expenditure2021: 39.2 % of government expenditure2022: 38.6 % of government expenditure2023: 35.9 % of government expenditure

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

Analysis

Poland recorded 35.9% for government spending by function in 2023.

That represents a change of down 6.8% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending by function in Poland peaked at 40.4% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 35.1%, in 2008.

That places Poland 20th 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 Poland, year by year

Annual values for Government spending by function in Poland, 2007 to 2023.
Year % of government expenditure Change
2007 36.4% —
2008 35.1% -3.5%
2009 35.8% +2.0%
2010 35.6% -0.6%
2011 35.2% -1.0%
2012 36.3% +3.1%
2013 37.5% +3.4%
2014 37.5% +0.1%
2015 37.7% +0.3%
2016 40.4% +7.3%
2017 39.8% -1.5%
2018 39.0% -2.1%
2019 39.9% +2.4%
2020 37.5% -6.1%
2021 39.2% +4.7%
2022 38.6% -1.7%
2023 35.9% -6.8%

Poland compared with similar countries

  • Poland's 35.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 99% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
  • Poland's 35.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.5%, 96% of the median. (29 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 35.7% 35.1% 36.4% 3
2010s 37.9% 35.2% 40.4% 10
2020s 37.8% 35.9% 39.2% 4

Countries ranked near Poland

  1. 17 Greece 37.3% compare
  2. 18 Slovenia 36.5% compare
  3. 19 Slovakia 36.4% compare
  4. 21 Bulgaria 35.5% compare
  5. 22 Ireland 35.5% compare
  6. 23 United Kingdom 32.9% compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More reference data data for Poland

All data for Poland →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending by function in Poland?
Government spending by function in Poland was 35.9% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending by function recorded in Poland?
The highest recorded value was 40.4% in 2016.
What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in Poland?
The lowest recorded value was 35.1% in 2008.
How does Poland rank for government spending by function?
Poland ranks 20th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending by function rising or falling in Poland?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Poland 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Government spending by function in Poland. Statizoid, drawing on OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-spending-by-function/poland/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-spending-by-function/poland/">Government spending by function in Poland</a> — Statizoid

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.