Government spending by function in Portugal
Portugal: Government spending by function was 39.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function in Portugal, 2007–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 39.2% for government spending by function in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function in Portugal peaked at 40.4% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 33.5%, in 2007.
That places Portugal 11th 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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 33.5% | — |
| 2008 | 33.5% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 34.3% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 33.5% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 35.9% | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 37.8% | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 39.0% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 36.9% | -5.4% |
| 2015 | 38.5% | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 40.4% | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 38.1% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 39.3% | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 39.9% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 38.6% | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 38.3% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 39.8% | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 39.2% | -1.7% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 39.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 39.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.5%, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.7% | 33.5% | 34.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | 37.9% | 33.5% | 40.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.0% | 38.3% | 39.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More reference data data for Portugal
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5144 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4372 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0472 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2572 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function in Portugal?
- Government spending by function in Portugal was 39.2% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending by function recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 40.4% in 2016.
- What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.5% in 2007.
- How does Portugal rank for government spending by function?
- Portugal ranks 11th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal 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.