Public social spending as share of GDP in Colombia

Colombia: Public social spending as share of GDP was 14.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
14.1%
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
37th
of 42 countries
All-time high
16.8%
in 2020
All-time low
12.1%
in 2010
Years of data
14
2010–2023

Public social spending as share of GDP in Colombia, 2010–2023

0510152010201620232010: 12.1 % of GDP2011: 12.7 % of GDP2012: 12.6 % of GDP2013: 13.4 % of GDP2014: 14.1 % of GDP2015: 14.6 % of GDP2016: 14.2 % of GDP2017: 14.3 % of GDP2018: 13.8 % of GDP2019: 13.9 % of GDP2020: 16.8 % of GDP2021: 15.7 % of GDP2022: 13.6 % of GDP2023: 14.1 % of GDP

Source: OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

The most recent figure for public social spending as share of gdp in Colombia is 14.1%, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public social spending as share of gdp in Colombia peaked at 16.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 12.1%, in 2010.

Colombia ranks 37th of 42 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 13.6% 12.1% 14.6% 10
2020s 15.1% 13.6% 16.8% 4

Countries ranked near Colombia

  1. 34 Switzerland 16.0% compare
  2. 35 South Korea 15.3% compare
  3. 38 Chile 12.9% compare
  4. 39 Costa Rica 12.6% compare
  5. 40 Turkey 10.4% compare

See the full ranking of 42 places →

More reference data data for Colombia

All data for Colombia →

Frequently asked questions

What is public social spending as share of gdp in Colombia?
Public social spending as share of gdp in Colombia was 14.1% in 2023, according to OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest public social spending as share of gdp recorded in Colombia?
The highest recorded value was 16.8% in 2020.
What is the lowest public social spending as share of gdp recorded in Colombia?
The lowest recorded value was 12.1% in 2010.
How does Colombia rank for public social spending as share of gdp?
Colombia ranks 37th out of 42 countries with data for 2023.
Is public social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Colombia?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Colombia data come from?
The figures come from OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Public social spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Public social spending as share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
42 places, 1,937 data points, 1880–2024
Last refreshed

Public social expenditure divided bt gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.