Government spending by function in Spain
Spain: Government spending by function was 40.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function in Spain, 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 Spain stood at 40.7%.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function in Spain peaked at 42.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 32.7%, in 2007.
That places Spain 6th out of 37 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Government spending by function in Spain, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 32.7% | — |
| 2008 | 33.3% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 34.9% | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 36.4% | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 36.8% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 36.0% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 39.2% | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 39.6% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 39.0% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 40.1% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 40.4% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 40.4% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 41.1% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 42.7% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 40.7% | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 39.6% | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 40.7% | +2.8% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 40.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Spain's 40.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.5%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.7% | 32.7% | 34.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 38.9% | 36.0% | 41.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.9% | 39.6% | 42.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More reference data data for Spain
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.898 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.06 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 52.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.89 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function in Spain?
- Government spending by function in Spain was 40.7% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending by function recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 42.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.7% in 2007.
- How does Spain rank for government spending by function?
- Spain ranks 6th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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.