Government as a Percent of the Economy

OECD statistics between 1983 and 2001 comparing size of government in 24 countries.
Published on October 1, 2000

Annex Table 28. General government total outlays (a)
As a percentage of nominal GDP calculated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
United States 33.9 33.1 33.8 34.2 33.9 32.9 32.8 33.6 34.2 34.8 34.1 33.1 32.9 32.4 31.4 30.5 30.1 29.9 29.7
Japan (b) 33.3 32.3 31.6 31.9 32.1 31.3 30.6 31.3 30.9 31.7 33.7 34.4 35.6 35.9 35 36.96 38.1 38.4 38.2
Germany © 47.8 47.4 47 46.4 45.3 44.9 43.5 43.8 46 46.9 48.1 47.8 48.1 49.1 48.1 47.3 47.6 46.8 46.2
France 51 51.5 51.7 51.1 50.5 49.4 48.5 49.3 49.9 51.7 54 53.8 53.7 53.9 52.6 52.4 52.4 51.5 50.5
Italy 48.6 49.4 50.7 50.6 50.3 50.4 51.2 53.1 53.1 53.3 56.4 53.9 51.8 51.7 50 48.6 48.6 47.5 46.8
United Kingdom .. .. .. .. 43 40.6 39.8 41.8 43.4 45.2 45.4 44.7 44.4 43 40.9 40.1 39.7 39.5 39.5
Canada 45.8 45.3 46 45.4 44 43.4 43.9 46.7 50.1 51.1 50 47.5 46.3 44.4 42.4 42.6 41.2 40.9 40.7
Total above countries 38.3 37.8 38.1 38.2 38.2 37.3 36.9 37.9 38.7 39.6 40.1 39.4 39.3 39.1 37.9 37.6 37.5 37.3 36.9
Australia 35.4 36.4 36.4 37.3 37.4 35.7 33.1 31.9 33.6 34.7 36.3 35 35.7 34.7 33.2 32.7 32.4 32.5 32
Austria 49 49 49.3 50.4 51.2 51.7 50.5 49.1 48.6 49.4 50.2 52.5 52.6 51.8 49.8 49.7 49.7 49.1 48.9
Belgium 62 62 60.7 60.2 59.8 58.3 55.7 53.1 53.3 54.4 54.9 54.5 53.1 52.7 51.4 50.8 50.9 50 49.8
Czech Republic .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 42.2 44 43.1 41.7 40.9 40.6 44.7 45.4 47.4
Denmark .. .. .. .. .. 56.6 56.7 56 56.9 58 60.6 60.6 59 58.6 56.8 55.5 54.5 54.1 53.5
Finland 40.2 40.2 42.2 43.5 44 43 41 44.5 52.8 57.6 59 57.6 55.1 54.5 51.8 48.6 47 45.2 43.4
Greece 40.4 43.1 46.2 45 45.6 44.6 46.3 51 48 50.5 53.7 52.6 54.6 52.4 50.4 49.6 49.3 48.7 47.9
Hungary .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 54.7 52.3 49.2 43.7 44.5 44.3 43.7 43.4 43.4
Iceland .. .. .. .. 32.5 37 39.3 36.6 37.5 37.7 37.4 37.1 39 38.2 36.6 36.5 35.8 35 35
Ireland 49.4 47.7 48.6 48.3 46.6 43 36.9 37.8 39 39.4 39.1 38.9 36.4 34.5 33.2 31 30 29.2 28.6
Korea 18.5 17.7 17.6 16.8 15.9 16.1 17.2 18.1 19.3 20.5 19.8 19.6 19.1 20.4 22.1 25 25.2 24.4 23.6
Netherlands 54.7 53.8 51.9 52 53.3 51.3 48.9 49.4 49.5 50 49.9 47.6 47.7 45.6 44.6 43.5 43.8 43.2 42.9
New Zealand .. .. .. 52.6 48.8 50 48.4 48.8 45.8 45.4 42 39.6 38.8 38.6 38.9 39.6 40.9 39.7 39.2
Norway 44 42.1 41.5 45.4 47.7 49.5 49.1 49.7 50.6 52 51 49.9 47.6 45.4 44.1 46.4 46.1 44.9 45.3
Poland .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 54.3 49.3 47.2 45.8 44.9 43.4 44.1 42.4 41.4
Portugal 44.5 41.1 40.2 40.6 39.2 38.5 37.6 40.6 43.1 43.6 45.3 43.8 44.5 43.4 43.5 43.5 44.2 44.1 44
Spain 35.4 35.2 37.7 38.6 37.7 37.2 38.9 39.7 40.7 42 45.2 43.1 42.5 41.3 39.9 39.4 38.5 38 37.6
Sweden 61.6 59.2 60.5 58.9 55.2 55.4 55.7 56.4 58.6 64.3 67.9 65.7 62.7 60.9 59 56.6 56.4 54.7 53.1
Total of above smaller countries 39.6 39.1 39.7 40.1 39.3 39 38.8 39.8 40.9 42.3 44.5 43 42.3 41.3 40.5 40.4 40.4 39.7 39.2
Total of above OECD countries 38.6 38 38.4 38.5 38.4 37.6 37.2 38.3 39.1 40 40.9 40 39.8 39.5 38.4 38.1 38.1 37.7 37.4
Memorandum Items
Total of above European Union countries 48.4 48.3 48.8 48.5 47.1 46.3 45.7 46.8 47.9 49.2 51 49.9 49.4 49.1 47.7 46.8 46.7 46 45.4
Euro area 47.6 47.5 47.8 47.6 47.4 46.6 45.9 46.8 47.8 42.8 51 50 49.6 49.8 48.5 47.7 47.6 46.8 46
Source: OECD Economic Outlook
Note: The numbers are subject to revision for countries that have changed their national accounts since there can be differences between the treatment of individual items of the government accounts in ESA95/SNA93ince therecan be differences between the treatment of individual items of the government accounts in ESA95/SNA93
and the Outlook Databank. For further details see “Sources and Methods”.
a) Current outlays plus net capital outlays.
b) The 1998 outlays would have risen by 5.4 percentage points of GDP if account were taken of the assumption by the central government of the debt of the Japan Railway Settlement Corporation and the National Forest Special Account.
c) Includes outlays of the German Railways Fund from 1994 onwards and the Inherited Debt Fund from 1995 onwards.

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