Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Colombia

Colombia: Social protection spending as share of total government spending was 25.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
25.1%
Change on year
up 7.2%
World rank
34th
of 37 countries
All-time high
28.2%
in 2009
All-time low
23.4%
in 2022
Years of data
15
2009–2023

Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Colombia, 2009–2023

01020302009201620232009: 28.2 % of government expenditure2010: 28 % of government expenditure2011: 28 % of government expenditure2012: 26.7 % of government expenditure2013: 26.7 % of government expenditure2014: 26.6 % of government expenditure2015: 27.2 % of government expenditure2016: 27.1 % of government expenditure2017: 26.5 % of government expenditure2018: 26.1 % of government expenditure2019: 26.7 % of government expenditure2020: 27.9 % of government expenditure2021: 25.9 % of government expenditure2022: 23.4 % of government expenditure2023: 25.1 % of government expenditure

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 Colombia is 25.1%, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 7.2% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, social protection spending as share of total government spending in Colombia peaked at 28.2% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 23.4%, in 2022.

That places Colombia 34th out of 37 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Colombia, year by year

Annual values for Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Colombia, 2009 to 2023.
Year % of government expenditure Change
2009 28.2% —
2010 28.0% -0.9%
2011 28.0% +0.3%
2012 26.7% -4.9%
2013 26.7% +0.0%
2014 26.6% -0.2%
2015 27.2% +2.2%
2016 27.1% -0.4%
2017 26.5% -2.1%
2018 26.1% -1.8%
2019 26.7% +2.4%
2020 27.9% +4.3%
2021 25.9% -7.0%
2022 23.4% -9.7%
2023 25.1% +7.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 28.2% 28.2% 28.2% 1
2010s 27.0% 26.1% 28.0% 10
2020s 25.6% 23.4% 27.9% 4

Countries ranked near Colombia

  1. 31 Australia 26.5% compare
  2. 32 South Korea 26.2% compare
  3. 33 Costa Rica 26.1% compare
  4. 35 Hungary 24.9% compare
  5. 36 Iceland 23.9% compare
  6. 37 United States 20.2% compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More reference data data for Colombia

All data for Colombia →

Frequently asked questions

What is social protection spending as share of total government spending in Colombia?
Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Colombia was 25.1% 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 Colombia?
The highest recorded value was 28.2% in 2009.
What is the lowest social protection spending as share of total government spending recorded in Colombia?
The lowest recorded value was 23.4% in 2022.
How does Colombia rank for social protection spending as share of total government spending?
Colombia ranks 34th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
Is social protection spending as share of total government spending rising or falling in Colombia?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Colombia 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.

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Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Colombia. Statizoid, drawing on OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-social-protection-in-government-exp-oecd/colombia/

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About this data

Indicator
Social protection spending as share of total government spending
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.