Public social spending as share of GDP in France
France: Public social spending as share of GDP was 30.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Public social spending as share of GDP in France, 1880–2024
Source: OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, public social spending as share of gdp in France stood at 30.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public social spending as share of gdp in France peaked at 34.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1880.
That places France 3rd out of 42 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
| 1890s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
| 1900s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
| 1910s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1 |
| 1920s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
| 1930s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1 |
| 1970s | 18.6% | 16.5% | 19.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 18.7% | 15.8% | 25.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.5% | 24.6% | 29.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.7% | 27.8% | 31.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.3% | 30.6% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.0% | 30.6% | 34.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near France
More reference data data for France
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.5862 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 3.31 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.1356 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies -0.3048 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.2 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 127.7 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public social spending as share of gdp in France?
- Public social spending as share of gdp in France was 30.6% in 2024, 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 34.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest public social spending as share of gdp recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1880.
- How does France rank for public social spending as share of gdp?
- France ranks 3rd out of 42 countries with data for 2024.
- Is public social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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.
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About this data
Public social expenditure divided bt gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.