Government spending per capita in Australia
Australia: Government spending per capita was 29,639 current international-$ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending per capita in Australia, 2007–2024
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in current international-$.
Analysis
Australia recorded 29,639 current international-$ for government spending per capita in 2024. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 69.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending per capita in Australia peaked at 29,639 current international-$ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13,721 current international-$, in 2007.
Australia ranks 16th of 43 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14,822 current international-$ | 13,721 current international-$ | 15,932 current international-$ | 3 |
| 2010s | 17,965 current international-$ | 15,770 current international-$ | 22,301 current international-$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 27,283 current international-$ | 25,018 current international-$ | 29,639 current international-$ | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 13 Switzerland 32,409 current international-$ compare
- 15 Italy 31,377 current international-$ compare
- 17 Canada 29,521 current international-$ compare
- 18 United Kingdom 29,093 current international-$ compare
- 19 Slovenia 26,764 current international-$ compare
More reference data data for Australia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.4864 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 148.46 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 government spending per capita in Australia?
- Government spending per capita in Australia was 29,639 current international-$ in 2024, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending per capita recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 29,639 current international-$ in 2024.
- What is the lowest government spending per capita recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13,721 current international-$ in 2007.
- How does Australia rank for government spending per capita?
- Australia ranks 16th out of 43 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending per capita rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 69.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The total amount of money the general government spends per capita. This data is adjusted for differences in living costs between countries but not for inflation.