Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Spain
Spain: Social protection spending as share of total government spending was 40.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Spain, 2007–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2023, social protection spending as share of total government spending in Spain stood at 40.7%.
The figure is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social protection spending as share of total government spending in Spain peaked at 42.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 32.7%, in 2007.
Spain ranks 6th of 37 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 Spain, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 32.7% | — |
| 2008 | 33.3% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 34.9% | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 36.4% | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 36.8% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 36.0% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 39.2% | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 39.6% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 39.0% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 40.1% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 40.4% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 40.4% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 41.1% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 42.7% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 40.7% | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 39.6% | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 40.7% | +2.8% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 40.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Spain's 40.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.5%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.7% | 32.7% | 34.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 38.9% | 36.0% | 41.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.9% | 39.6% | 42.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More reference data data for Spain
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.898 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.06 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 52.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.89 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social protection spending as share of total government spending in Spain?
- Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Spain was 40.7% 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 42.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest social protection spending as share of total government spending recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.7% in 2007.
- How does Spain rank for social protection spending as share of total government spending?
- Spain ranks 6th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is social protection spending as share of total government spending rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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.