Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Romania
Romania: Social protection spending as share of total government spending was 31.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Romania, 2007–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
Romania recorded 31.4% for social protection spending as share of total government spending in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.4% on the previous year and down 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social protection spending as share of total government spending in Romania peaked at 35.0% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 26.7%, in 2007.
Romania ranks 24th 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 Romania, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 26.7% | — |
| 2008 | 29.1% | +8.9% |
| 2009 | 32.9% | +13.1% |
| 2010 | 34.5% | +4.9% |
| 2011 | 32.5% | -5.8% |
| 2012 | 32.8% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 32.4% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 32.1% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 31.9% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 33.6% | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 35.0% | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 33.7% | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 32.6% | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 32.9% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 33.5% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 32.8% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 31.4% | -4.4% |
Romania compared with similar countries
- Romania's 31.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.5%, 84% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Romania's 31.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 86% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29.6% | 26.7% | 32.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 33.1% | 31.9% | 35.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.6% | 31.4% | 33.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Romania
More reference data data for Romania
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.59 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.689 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.59 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.04 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 3.75 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social protection spending as share of total government spending in Romania?
- Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Romania was 31.4% 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 Romania?
- The highest recorded value was 35.0% in 2017.
- What is the lowest social protection spending as share of total government spending recorded in Romania?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.7% in 2007.
- How does Romania rank for social protection spending as share of total government spending?
- Romania ranks 24th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is social protection spending as share of total government spending rising or falling in Romania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Romania 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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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.