Government spending by function in Sweden
Sweden: Government spending by function was 37.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending by function in Sweden, 2007–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 37.8% for government spending by function in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function in Sweden peaked at 42.0% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 37.8%, in 2023.
Sweden ranks 12th of 37 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Government spending by function in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 41.7% | — |
| 2008 | 40.8% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 41.8% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 41.3% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 40.4% | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 41.0% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 41.3% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 41.1% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 41.4% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 42.0% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 41.3% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 40.1% | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 39.5% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 38.4% | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 38.4% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 38.5% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 37.8% | -1.9% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 37.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 1.0× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 37.8% 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 | 41.4% | 40.8% | 41.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 40.9% | 39.5% | 42.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.3% | 37.8% | 38.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More reference data data for Sweden
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4328 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2237 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9766 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.12 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function in Sweden?
- Government spending by function in Sweden was 37.8% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending by function recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 42.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.8% in 2023.
- How does Sweden rank for government spending by function?
- Sweden ranks 12th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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.