Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Netherlands
Netherlands: Social protection spending as share of total government spending was 37.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Netherlands, 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 Netherlands is 37.6%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social protection spending as share of total government spending in Netherlands peaked at 38.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 34.1%, in 2008.
Netherlands ranks 14th of 37 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 34.2% | — |
| 2008 | 34.1% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 34.6% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 35.1% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 35.8% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 36.4% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 37.0% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 37.3% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 38.0% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 38.9% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 38.7% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 38.1% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 38.1% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 36.2% | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 35.8% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 36.3% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 37.6% | +3.5% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 37.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.5%, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 37.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 1.0× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 34.3% | 34.1% | 34.6% | 3 |
| 2010s | 37.4% | 35.1% | 38.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.5% | 35.8% | 37.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More reference data data for Netherlands
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5851 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.79 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.79 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.59 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 18.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6002 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social protection spending as share of total government spending in Netherlands?
- Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Netherlands was 37.6% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 38.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest social protection spending as share of total government spending recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.1% in 2008.
- How does Netherlands rank for social protection spending as share of total government spending?
- Netherlands ranks 14th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is social protection spending as share of total government spending rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.