Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Australia
Australia: Social protection spending as share of total government spending was 26.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Australia, 2007–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
The most recent figure for social protection spending as share of total government spending in Australia is 26.5%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social protection spending as share of total government spending in Australia peaked at 29.4% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 25.0%, in 2019.
That places Australia 31st out of 37 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 26.7% | — |
| 2008 | 29.4% | +10.2% |
| 2009 | 25.2% | -14.3% |
| 2010 | 25.4% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 25.6% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 26.0% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 26.3% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 26.8% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 26.7% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 25.9% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 25.2% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 25.2% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 25.0% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 25.5% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 25.9% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 25.3% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 26.5% | +4.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 26.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 73% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 27.1% | 25.2% | 29.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 25.8% | 25.0% | 26.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.8% | 25.3% | 26.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social protection spending as share of total government spending in Australia?
- Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Australia was 26.5% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest social protection spending as share of total government spending recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.4% in 2008.
- What is the lowest social protection spending as share of total government spending recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.0% in 2019.
- How does Australia rank for social protection spending as share of total government spending?
- Australia ranks 31st out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is social protection spending as share of total government spending rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Social protection spending as share of total government spending. 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.