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 2023, at 26.4% of GDP. Ireland had the lowest, at 12.1% of GDP. The median was 19.6% of GDP. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest26.4Sweden
Lowest12.1Ireland
Median19.627 EU countries

Map of EU countries, 2023

Austria: 20.6 % of GDPBelgium: 23.4 % of GDPBulgaria: 18.5 % of GDPCyprus: 18.4 % of GDPCzechia: 19.6 % of GDPGermany: 21.5 % of GDPDenmark: 22.8 % of GDPEstonia: 20.3 % of GDPSpain: 19.6 % of GDPFinland: 25.7 % of GDPFrance: 24.1 % of GDPGreece: 19.4 % of GDPCroatia: 21 % of GDPHungary: 20.5 % of GDPIreland: 12.1 % of GDPItaly: 17.9 % of GDPLithuania: 17.4 % of GDPLuxembourg: 18.4 % of GDPLatvia: 21 % of GDPMalta: 16.4 % of GDPNetherlands: 25.1 % of GDPPoland: 18.9 % of GDPPortugal: 16.7 % of GDPRomania: 17.2 % of GDPSweden: 26.4 % of GDPSlovenia: 19.2 % of GDPSlovakia: 20.3 % of GDP
  • Under 18
  • 18 to 19
  • 19 to 20
  • 20 to 23
  • 23 and over
% of GDP, 2023. Source: World Bank, General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2023

Sweden: 26.4 % of GDPSweden26.4Finland: 25.7 % of GDPFinland25.7Netherlands: 25.1 % of GDPNetherlands25.1France: 24.1 % of GDPFrance24.1Belgium: 23.4 % of GDPBelgium23.4Denmark: 22.8 % of GDPDenmark22.8Germany: 21.5 % of GDPGermany21.5Croatia: 21 % of GDPCroatia21Latvia: 21 % of GDPLatvia21Austria: 20.6 % of GDPAustria20.6Hungary: 20.5 % of GDPHungary20.5Slovakia: 20.3 % of GDPSlovakia20.3Estonia: 20.3 % of GDPEstonia20.3Spain: 19.6 % of GDPSpain19.6Czechia: 19.6 % of GDPCzechia19.6Greece: 19.4 % of GDPGreece19.4Slovenia: 19.2 % of GDPSlovenia19.2Poland: 18.9 % of GDPPoland18.9Bulgaria: 18.5 % of GDPBulgaria18.5Cyprus: 18.4 % of GDPCyprus18.4Luxembourg: 18.4 % of GDPLuxembourg18.4Italy: 17.9 % of GDPItaly17.9Lithuania: 17.4 % of GDPLithuania17.4Romania: 17.2 % of GDPRomania17.2Portugal: 16.7 % of GDPPortugal16.7Malta: 16.4 % of GDPMalta16.4Ireland: 12.1 % of GDPIreland12.1Sweden: 26.4 % of GDPSweden26.4Finland: 25.7 % of GDPFinland25.7Netherlands: 25.1 % of GDPNetherlands25.1France: 24.1 % of GDPFrance24.1Belgium: 23.4 % of GDPBelgium23.4Denmark: 22.8 % of GDPDenmark22.8Germany: 21.5 % of GDPGermany21.5Croatia: 21 % of GDPCroatia21Latvia: 21 % of GDPLatvia21Austria: 20.6 % of GDPAustria20.6Hungary: 20.5 % of GDPHungary20.5Slovakia: 20.3 % of GDPSlovakia20.3Estonia: 20.3 % of GDPEstonia20.3Spain: 19.6 % of GDPSpain19.6Czechia: 19.6 % of GDPCzechia19.6Greece: 19.4 % of GDPGreece19.4Slovenia: 19.2 % of GDPSlovenia19.2Poland: 18.9 % of GDPPoland18.9Bulgaria: 18.5 % of GDPBulgaria18.5Cyprus: 18.4 % of GDPCyprus18.4Luxembourg: 18.4 % of GDPLuxembourg18.4Italy: 17.9 % of GDPItaly17.9Lithuania: 17.4 % of GDPLithuania17.4Romania: 17.2 % of GDPRomania17.2Portugal: 16.7 % of GDPPortugal16.7Malta: 16.4 % of GDPMalta16.4Ireland: 12.1 % of GDPIreland12.1
% of GDP. Source: World Bank, General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) (NE.CON.GOVT.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2023
% of GDP		Change on 2022
1Sweden26.4+0.7 pts
2Finland25.7+1.5 pts
3Netherlands25.1+0.8 pts
4France24.1-0.5 pts
5Belgium23.4-0 pts
6Denmark22.8+0.8 pts
7Germany21.5-0.3 pts
8Croatia21-0.2 pts
9Latvia21+0.3 pts
10Austria20.60 pts
11Hungary20.5-0.2 pts
12Slovakia20.3-0.9 pts
13Estonia20.3+1.2 pts
14Spain19.6-0.4 pts
15Czechia19.6-0 pts
16Greece19.4-0.5 pts
17Slovenia19.2-0.3 pts
18Poland18.9+0.8 pts
19Bulgaria18.5+0.2 pts
20Cyprus18.4+0.4 pts
21Luxembourg18.4+0.3 pts
22Italy17.9-0.9 pts
23Lithuania17.4+0.4 pts
24Romania17.2+0.5 pts
25Portugal16.7-0.7 pts
26Malta16.4-1.2 pts
27Ireland12.1+1.1 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, 2023) [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, 2023. 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=2023. 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, 2023. 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=2023.

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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.GOVT.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-consumption-gdp/eu-countries?period=2023 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_eu_countries_by_general_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  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=2023. 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, 2023
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=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-consumption-gdp/eu-countries?period=2023.
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 2023, according to the World Bank.

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

Ireland, with 12.1% of GDP in 2023.

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