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Government spending by function in Sweden

Sweden: Government spending by function was 37.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
37.8%
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
12th
of 37 countries
All-time high
42.0%
in 2016
All-time low
37.8%
in 2023
Years of data
17
2007–2023

Government spending by function in Sweden, 2007–2023

0102030402007201520232007: 41.7 % of government expenditure2008: 40.8 % of government expenditure2009: 41.8 % of government expenditure2010: 41.3 % of government expenditure2011: 40.4 % of government expenditure2012: 41 % of government expenditure2013: 41.3 % of government expenditure2014: 41.1 % of government expenditure2015: 41.4 % of government expenditure2016: 42 % of government expenditure2017: 41.3 % of government expenditure2018: 40.1 % of government expenditure2019: 39.5 % of government expenditure2020: 38.4 % of government expenditure2021: 38.4 % of government expenditure2022: 38.5 % of government expenditure2023: 37.8 % of government expenditure

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 9 Switzerland 39.3% compare
  2. 10 Italy 39.3% compare
  3. 11 Portugal 39.2% compare
  4. 13 Belgium 37.7% compare
  5. 14 Netherlands 37.6% compare
  6. 15 Norway 37.6% compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More reference data data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

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

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.