Total government spending by the member states of the European Union has increased consistently over the period since 1995, rising from around 3.4 trillion euros annually to almost 8.4 trillion in 2023. Social protection was the largest spending function in 2023, at 3.3 trillion euros. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a particularly large increase in spending in 2020 and 2021, as governments across the EU invested money in their health services to try to contain the pandemic.

Government Spending In the Euro Area increased to 664.25 EUR Billion in the second quarter of 2025 from 660.82 EUR Billion in the first quarter of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Euro Area Government Spending - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

This statistic shows the public spending ratio in the member states of the European Union in 2024. All figures are estimates. The public spending ratio is the ratio of state expenditures to the gross domestic product (GDP). In 2024, Belgium's public spending ratio amounted to about 54.32 percent of the GDP.

This dataset provides values for GOVERNMENT SPENDING TO GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Government spending in European Union was last recorded at 49.2 percent of GDP in 2024 . This dataset provides - European Union Government Spending To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The government activity which received the greatest share of government spending among member states of the European Union in 2022 was social protection. Social protection refers to welfare measures such as family and child benefits, unemployment benefits, social assistance programs and other social security expenditures. Some member states, such as Finland, Luxembourg, and Italy, spend more than 40 percent on this function, while countries such as Malta, Hungary, and Croatia spend less than 30 percent. Other common government activities such as providing health care, expenditure on economic affairs such as infrastructure and subsidies, education services, and public order such as the police force.

Government Spending in European Union increased to 771.19 EUR Billion in the second quarter of 2025 from 766.09 EUR Billion in the first quarter of 2025. This dataset provides - European Union Government Spending - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

This statistic shows the share of the public spending of the European Union and the euro area in the GDP from 2020 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the share of the public spending of the European Union amounted to approximately 49.14 percent.

The average for 2023 based on 19 countries was 19.76 percent. The highest value was in Finland: 25.63 percent and the lowest value was in Ireland: 12.17 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Within the European Union, the most common government function which the governments of member states spend money on is social protection, followed by health services and economic affairs. The most notable trend over the preceding decades has been the compression of spending on general public services, which fell from almost 20 percent of total spending in the late 1990s and early 2000s, to less than ten percent in the 2020s.

At the same time, spending on health has increased from around ten percent, to over 15 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Economic affairs experienced a surge in spending during the pandemic, as governments stepped in to provide economic support and subsidies to industries and sectors which were adversely affected by the pandemic, such as the food and accommodation sectors.

Total government spending by the member states of the European Union has increased consistently over the period since 1995, rising from around 3.4 trillion euros annually to almost 8.4 trillion in 2023. Social protection was the largest spending function in 2023, at 3.3 trillion euros. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a particularly large increase in spending in 2020 and 2021, as governments across the EU invested money in their health services to try to contain the pandemic.

EU: General Government Total Expenditure: % of GDP data was reported at 45.314 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 45.723 % for 2016. EU: General Government Total Expenditure: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 46.355 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 50.863 % in 1995 and a record low of 43.776 % in 2000. EU: General Government Total Expenditure: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund - World Economic Outlook. The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Aggregate: Euro Area and European Union – Table EU.IMF.WEO: General Government Balance: European Union (EU28).

Government spending In the Euro Area was last recorded at 49.6 percent of GDP in 2024 . This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Euro Area Government Spending to GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The average for 2023 based on 42 countries was 19.9 percent. The highest value was in Ukraine: 41.86 percent and the lowest value was in Switzerland: 11.26 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Government spending as a share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the member states of the European has consistently exceeded 45 percent over the period since 1995, reaching over 50 percent of annual production in 1995 and 1996, as well as the crisis years of 2009, 2020, and 2021. Government spending as a share of GDP should automatically expand during recessions and crises, as GDP shrinks, while the 'automatic stabilizers' of unemployment insurance and other welfare benefits expand. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments in the EU also expanded their spending on health care services and economic affairs, as they attempted to support their domestic healthcare systems, while stimulating economic activity in the private sector through targeted subsidies.

The average for 2022 based on 27 countries was 3.56 percent. The highest value was in Greece: 7.26 percent and the lowest value was in Ireland: 1.03 percent. The indicator is available from 1988 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Euro Area recorded a Government Budget deficit equal to 3.10 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides - Euro Area Government Budget - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for National Accounts: GDP by Expenditure: Constant Prices: Government Final Consumption Expenditure for the Euro Area (19 Countries) (NAEXKP03EZA661S) from 1995 to 2022 about Euro Area, Europe, consumption expenditures, consumption, government, real, and GDP.

Key information about EU Public Consumption: % of GDP

• European Union Public Consumption accounted for 22.4 % of its Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with a share of 21.0 % in the previous quarter.
• EU Public Consumption share of Nominal GDP ratio is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1995 to Dec 2024, with an average number of 20.7 %.
• The data reached an all-time high of 23.9 % in Jun 2020 and a record low of 19.1 % in Sep 2007.

CEIC calculates Government Consumption as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Government Consumption Expenditure and quarterly Nominal GDP. Eurostat provides Government Consumption Expenditure in EUR and Nominal GDP in EUR. European Union stands for EU27 excluding UK.


Related information about EU Public Consumption: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, EU GDP expanded 1.0 % YoY in Mar 2023.
• EU Nominal GDP reached 4,430.4 USD bn in Mar 2023.
• Its GDP deflator (implicit price deflator) increased 6.5 % in Mar 2023.
• EU GDP Per Capita reached 38,468.8 USD in Dec 2021.
• Its Gross Savings Rate was measured at 25.7 % in Dec 2024.
• For Nominal GDP contributions, Investment accounted for 21.9 % in Dec 2024.
• Private Consumption accounted for 51.9 % in Dec 2024.

Government expenditure, billion currency units in Euro area, June, 2025 The most recent value is 844.22 billion Euro as of Q2 2025, an increase compared to the previous value of 808.35 billion Euro. Historically, the average for Euro area from Q1 1995 to Q2 2025 is 501.6 billion Euro. The minimum of 263.61 billion Euro was recorded in Q1 1995, while the maximum of 889.53 billion Euro was reached in Q4 2024. | TheGlobalEconomy.com