Government spending by function in United States
United States: Government spending by function was 20.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function in United States, 2007–2023
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 United States is 20.2%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 7.2% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function in United States peaked at 26.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 2007.
That places United States 37th out of 37 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Government spending by function in United States, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 17.9% | — |
| 2008 | 19.4% | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 20.0% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 20.9% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 20.5% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 20.3% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 20.6% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 20.4% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 20.5% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 20.2% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 20.0% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 19.8% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 19.8% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 25.4% | +28.2% |
| 2021 | 26.5% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 21.7% | -18.0% |
| 2023 | 20.2% | -7.2% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 20.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 55% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending by function in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +28.2% | 19.8% | 25.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.1% | 17.9% | 20.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 20.3% | 19.8% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.4% | 20.2% | 26.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function in United States?
- Government spending by function in United States was 20.2% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending by function recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 26.5% in 2021.
- What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 2007.
- How does United States rank for government spending by function?
- United States ranks 37th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.