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Government spending by function in Romania

Romania: Government spending by function was 31.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
31.4%
Change on year
down 4.4%
World rank
24th
of 37 countries
All-time high
35.0%
in 2017
All-time low
26.7%
in 2007
Years of data
17
2007–2023

Government spending by function in Romania, 2007–2023

01020302007201520232007: 26.7 % of government expenditure2008: 29.1 % of government expenditure2009: 32.9 % of government expenditure2010: 34.5 % of government expenditure2011: 32.5 % of government expenditure2012: 32.8 % of government expenditure2013: 32.4 % of government expenditure2014: 32.1 % of government expenditure2015: 31.9 % of government expenditure2016: 33.6 % of government expenditure2017: 35 % of government expenditure2018: 33.7 % of government expenditure2019: 32.6 % of government expenditure2020: 32.9 % of government expenditure2021: 33.5 % of government expenditure2022: 32.8 % of government expenditure2023: 31.4 % of government expenditure

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for government spending by function in Romania is 31.4%, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of down 4.4% on the previous year and down 3.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending by function in Romania peaked at 35.0% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 26.7%, in 2007.

That places Romania 24th 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 29.6% 26.7% 32.9% 3
2010s 33.1% 31.9% 35.0% 10
2020s 32.6% 31.4% 33.5% 4

Countries ranked near Romania

  1. 21 Bulgaria 35.5% compare
  2. 23 United Kingdom 32.9% compare
  3. 25 Estonia 31.3% compare
  4. 26 Latvia 31.0% compare
  5. 27 Czechia 30.7% compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More reference data data for Romania

All data for Romania →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending by function in Romania?
Government spending by function in Romania was 31.4% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending by function recorded in Romania?
The highest recorded value was 35.0% in 2017.
What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in Romania?
The lowest recorded value was 26.7% in 2007.
How does Romania rank for government spending by function?
Romania ranks 24th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending by function rising or falling in Romania?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Romania 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.