Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Finland
Finland: Social protection spending as share of total government spending was 46.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Finland, 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 Finland is 46.0%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social protection spending as share of total government spending in Finland peaked at 46.9% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 40.3%, in 2008.
That places Finland 1st out of 37 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Finland, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 40.9% | — |
| 2008 | 40.3% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 41.6% | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 41.8% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 41.8% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 42.5% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 43.2% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 44.0% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 45.7% | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 46.8% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 46.9% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 46.6% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 46.2% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 45.7% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 45.4% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 45.3% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 46.0% | +1.6% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 46.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.5%, 1.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Finland's 46.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 1.3× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.9% | 40.3% | 41.6% | 3 |
| 2010s | 44.5% | 41.8% | 46.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.6% | 45.3% | 46.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More reference data data for Finland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2998 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1241 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1748 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6733 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.6503 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9518 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social protection spending as share of total government spending in Finland?
- Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Finland was 46.0% 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 Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 46.9% in 2017.
- What is the lowest social protection spending as share of total government spending recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.3% in 2008.
- How does Finland rank for social protection spending as share of total government spending?
- Finland ranks 1st out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is social protection spending as share of total government spending rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Finland 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.