Data / Rankings / General government final consumption expenditure, share of GDP / EU countries

EU countries by general government final consumption expenditure, share of GDP

Sweden had the highest general government final consumption expenditure, share of GDP of 27 EU countries in 2018, at 26.4% of GDP. Ireland had the lowest, at 11.8% of GDP. The median was 18.9% of GDP. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest26.4Sweden
Lowest11.8Ireland
Median18.927 EU countries

Map of EU countries, 2018

Austria: 19.6 % of GDPBelgium: 23.2 % of GDPBulgaria: 16.5 % of GDPCyprus: 14.7 % of GDPCzechia: 19.2 % of GDPGermany: 19.8 % of GDPDenmark: 24.5 % of GDPEstonia: 18.8 % of GDPSpain: 18.5 % of GDPFinland: 23.1 % of GDPFrance: 23.8 % of GDPGreece: 19.8 % of GDPCroatia: 21.7 % of GDPHungary: 19.6 % of GDPIreland: 11.8 % of GDPItaly: 18.9 % of GDPLithuania: 16.2 % of GDPLuxembourg: 16.8 % of GDPLatvia: 18.2 % of GDPMalta: 16 % of GDPNetherlands: 24.2 % of GDPPoland: 17.5 % of GDPPortugal: 17 % of GDPRomania: 16.7 % of GDPSweden: 26.4 % of GDPSlovenia: 18.4 % of GDPSlovakia: 19 % of GDP
  • Under 17
  • 17 to 18
  • 18 to 19
  • 19 to 23
  • 23 and over
% of GDP, 2018. Source: World Bank, General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2018

Sweden: 26.4 % of GDPSweden26.4Denmark: 24.5 % of GDPDenmark24.5Netherlands: 24.2 % of GDPNetherlands24.2France: 23.8 % of GDPFrance23.8Belgium: 23.2 % of GDPBelgium23.2Finland: 23.1 % of GDPFinland23.1Croatia: 21.7 % of GDPCroatia21.7Germany: 19.8 % of GDPGermany19.8Greece: 19.8 % of GDPGreece19.8Austria: 19.6 % of GDPAustria19.6Hungary: 19.6 % of GDPHungary19.6Czechia: 19.2 % of GDPCzechia19.2Slovakia: 19 % of GDPSlovakia19Italy: 18.9 % of GDPItaly18.9Estonia: 18.8 % of GDPEstonia18.8Spain: 18.5 % of GDPSpain18.5Slovenia: 18.4 % of GDPSlovenia18.4Latvia: 18.2 % of GDPLatvia18.2Poland: 17.5 % of GDPPoland17.5Portugal: 17 % of GDPPortugal17Luxembourg: 16.8 % of GDPLuxembourg16.8Romania: 16.7 % of GDPRomania16.7Bulgaria: 16.5 % of GDPBulgaria16.5Lithuania: 16.2 % of GDPLithuania16.2Malta: 16 % of GDPMalta16Cyprus: 14.7 % of GDPCyprus14.7Ireland: 11.8 % of GDPIreland11.8Sweden: 26.4 % of GDPSweden26.4Denmark: 24.5 % of GDPDenmark24.5Netherlands: 24.2 % of GDPNetherlands24.2France: 23.8 % of GDPFrance23.8Belgium: 23.2 % of GDPBelgium23.2Finland: 23.1 % of GDPFinland23.1Croatia: 21.7 % of GDPCroatia21.7Germany: 19.8 % of GDPGermany19.8Greece: 19.8 % of GDPGreece19.8Austria: 19.6 % of GDPAustria19.6Hungary: 19.6 % of GDPHungary19.6Czechia: 19.2 % of GDPCzechia19.2Slovakia: 19 % of GDPSlovakia19Italy: 18.9 % of GDPItaly18.9Estonia: 18.8 % of GDPEstonia18.8Spain: 18.5 % of GDPSpain18.5Slovenia: 18.4 % of GDPSlovenia18.4Latvia: 18.2 % of GDPLatvia18.2Poland: 17.5 % of GDPPoland17.5Portugal: 17 % of GDPPortugal17Luxembourg: 16.8 % of GDPLuxembourg16.8Romania: 16.7 % of GDPRomania16.7Bulgaria: 16.5 % of GDPBulgaria16.5Lithuania: 16.2 % of GDPLithuania16.2Malta: 16 % of GDPMalta16Cyprus: 14.7 % of GDPCyprus14.7Ireland: 11.8 % of GDPIreland11.8
% of GDP. Source: World Bank, General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2018
% of GDP		Change on 2017
1Sweden26.40 pts
2Denmark24.5-0.1 pts
3Netherlands24.20 pts
4France23.8-0.3 pts
5Belgium23.20 pts
6Finland23.1+0.1 pts
7Croatia21.7-0.1 pts
8Germany19.8+0.1 pts
9Greece19.8-0.8 pts
10Austria19.6-0.2 pts
11Hungary19.6-0.5 pts
12Czechia19.2+0.6 pts
13Slovakia19-0.4 pts
14Italy18.9-0.1 pts
15Estonia18.8-0.1 pts
16Spain18.50 pts
17Slovenia18.4-0.2 pts
18Latvia18.2-0.1 pts
19Poland17.5-0.1 pts
20Portugal17-0.2 pts
21Luxembourg16.8+0.6 pts
22Romania16.7+1 pts
23Bulgaria16.5+0.9 pts
24Lithuania16.2-0.1 pts
25Malta16+0.2 pts
26Cyprus14.7-0.3 pts
27Ireland11.8-0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Government current spending on goods and services, including the pay of public employees and most defence spending, as a percentage of GDP. Government investment and transfers such as pensions are not included. World Bank national accounts data, compiled from national statistical offices and central banks and from OECD national accounts files.

Much smaller than total government spending, which also counts investment, interest and social transfers. Current prices, so the share moves with relative prices as well as volumes. Countries that rebase their national accounts can shift it by several points. The latest year varies by country.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

World Bank, World Development Indicators. General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.GOVT.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

World Bank. (2026). General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS) (EU countries by general government final consumption expenditure, share of GDP, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.GOVT.ZS

MLA 9

General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS), EU countries by general government final consumption expenditure, share of GDP, 2018. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.GOVT.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-consumption-gdp/eu-countries?period=2018. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

World Bank. 2026. General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS). EU countries by general government final consumption expenditure, share of GDP, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.GOVT.ZS. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-consumption-gdp/eu-countries?period=2018.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS), EU countries by general government final consumption expenditure, share of GDP, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.GOVT.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-consumption-gdp/eu-countries?period=2018 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_eu_countries_by_general_2018,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{General government final consumption expenditure (\% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS): EU countries by general government final consumption expenditure, share of GDP, 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.GOVT.ZS},
  urldate = {2026-10-18},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-consumption-gdp/eu-countries?period=2018. Publisher attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators. General government final consumption expenditure (\% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.GOVT.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - World Bank
TI  - General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS): EU countries by general government final consumption expenditure, share of GDP, 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
PB  - World Bank
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.GOVT.ZS
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-consumption-gdp/eu-countries?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-consumption-gdp/eu-countries?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators. General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.GOVT.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
ER  -
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest general government final consumption expenditure, share of GDP?

Sweden, with 26.4% of GDP in 2018, according to the World Bank.

Which EU country has the lowest general government final consumption expenditure, share of GDP?

Ireland, with 11.8% of GDP in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

General government final consumption expenditure, share of GDP: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings