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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

Latest (2023)
40.7%
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
6th
of 37 countries
All-time high
42.7%
in 2020
All-time low
32.7%
in 2007
Years of data
17
2007–2023

Social protection spending as share of total government spending in Spain, 2007–2023

0102030402007201520232007: 32.7 % of government expenditure2008: 33.3 % of government expenditure2009: 34.9 % of government expenditure2010: 36.4 % of government expenditure2011: 36.8 % of government expenditure2012: 36 % of government expenditure2013: 39.2 % of government expenditure2014: 39.6 % of government expenditure2015: 39 % of government expenditure2016: 40.1 % of government expenditure2017: 40.4 % of government expenditure2018: 40.4 % of government expenditure2019: 41.1 % of government expenditure2020: 42.7 % of government expenditure2021: 40.7 % of government expenditure2022: 39.6 % of government expenditure2023: 40.7 % of government expenditure

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 3 Denmark 41.5% compare
  2. 4 Austria 41.3% compare
  3. 5 France 40.9% compare
  4. 7 Germany 40.6% compare
  5. 8 Japan 39.9% compare
  6. 9 Switzerland 39.3% compare

See the full ranking of 37 places →

More reference data data for Spain

All data for Spain →

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

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.