Ranked: Countries With the Biggest Governments

Ranked: Countries With the Biggest Governments

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Government spending plays a central role in every economy, funding everything from healthcare and pensions to infrastructure, education, and defense. However, the share of economic output devoted to public expenditure varies widely across countries, reflecting differences in demographics and fiscal priorities.

This visualization, created by Iswardi Ishak, uses data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to compare general government expenditure as a percentage of GDP across countries.

Which Countries Spend the Most?

Below are the countries with the highest government expenditure as a share of GDP, based on IMF data.

Rank	Country	Government Expenditure (% of GDP)
1	Kiribati	98.08
2	Marshall Islands	71.58
3	Ukraine	71.27
4	Dominica	58.8
5	Finland	57.68
6	France	57.17
7	Micronesia	56.97
8	Austria	56.03
9	Belgium	54.49
10	Lesotho	53.48
11	Italy	50.56
12	Kuwait	50.41
13	Germany	49.43
14	Poland	49.41
15	Sweden	49.30
16	Norway	48.48
17	Croatia	48.00
18	Greece	47.98
19	Denmark	47.33
20	Slovak Republic	47.12
21	Hungary	46.87
22	Luxembourg	46.87
23	Iceland	46.54
24	Slovenia	46.47
25	Maldives	46.08
26	Brazil	45.68
27	Spain	45.34
28	Canada	44.72
29	Latvia	44.47
30	Netherlands	44.41
31	United Kingdom	44.04
32	Israel	43.79
33	Estonia	43.62
34	Bosnia and Herzegovina	43.32
35	Saint Kitts and Nevis	43.17
36	Portugal	42.77
37	Czech Republic	42.75
38	New Zealand	41.86
39	Vanuatu	41.08
40	Cyprus	39.98
41	Romania	39.93
42	Namibia	39.93
43	Bolivia	39.84
44	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	39.14
45	Japan	39.10
46	Australia	38.94
47	Ecuador	38.07
48	Moldova	37.96
49	United States	37.92
50	Mongolia	37.50
51	Grenada	37.09
52	Russia	36.87
53	Algeria	36.79
54	North Macedonia	36.73
55	Bulgaria	36.65
56	Solomon Islands	35.81
57	Colombia	34.65
58	Azerbaijan	33.91
59	Tunisia	33.83
60	Seychelles	33.77
61	Kyrgyz Republic	33.71
62	Senegal	33.55
63	Mozambique	33.24
64	Morocco	33.05
65	Jordan	33.04
66	South Africa	32.98
67	China	32.95
68	Eswatini	32.84
69	Türkiye	32.63
70	Trinidad and Tobago	32.48
71	Switzerland	31.92
72	El Salvador	31.36
73	Uruguay	31.14
74	Argentina	31.02
75	Fiji	30.81
76	Mexico	30.32
77	Georgia	30.26
78	Jamaica	30.04
79	Barbados	29.75
80	Saudi Arabia	29.57
81	Suriname	29.21
82	Bahrain	29.06
83	Albania	28.94
84	Rwanda	28.78
85	Oman	28.70
86	India	28.38
87	Burkina Faso	27.83
88	Tajikistan	27.66
89	Uzbekistan	27.59
90	Bhutan	27.13
91	Nicaragua	27.10
92	Chile	26.73
93	Togo	26.42
94	Belize	26.29
95	Cabo Verde	26.09
96	Qatar	25.98
97	Honduras	25.66
98	Philippines	24.94
99	Gabon	24.77
100	Saint Lucia	24.31
101	Malaysia	23.86
102	Kenya	23.26
103	Hong Kong SAR	23.26
104	Guyana	23.21
105	Ghana	23.18
106	Panama	23.15
107	Thailand	22.71
108	South Korea	22.53
109	Burundi	22.35
110	Ireland	22.31
111	Peru	22.27
112	Republic of the Congo	21.65
113	United Arab Emirates	21.41
114	Aruba	21.23
115	Paraguay	20.99
116	Bahamas	20.97
117	Myanmar	20.67
118	Djibouti	20.62
119	Guinea	20.56
120	Côte d’Ivoire	20.37
121	Papua New Guinea	20.37
122	Guinea-Bissau	20.36
123	Antigua and Barbuda	19.81
124	Central African Republic	19.55
125	Pakistan	19.47
126	Dominican Republic	19.47
127	Sri Lanka	19.32
128	Comoros	19.14
129	Vietnam	19.12
130	Tanzania	19.10
131	Costa Rica	18.87
132	Chad	18.82
133	Uganda	18.69
134	Equatorial Guinea	18.47
135	Angola	18.41
136	Benin	18.05
137	Venezuela	17.58
138	Cambodia	17.26
139	Indonesia	16.84
140	DR Congo	16.73
141	Lebanon	16.48
142	Madagascar	16.21
143	Iran	14.20
144	Niger	13.42
145	Guatemala	13.38
146	Nigeria	12.32
147	Bangladesh	12.03
148	Ethiopia	9.54
149	Yemen	8.91
150	Sudan	6.39
151	Haiti	5.25

Kiribati is a clear outlier, while several Nordic and Western European countries cluster around the 50% mark. By contrast, many large emerging economies devote a substantially smaller share of GDP to public spending.

At first glance, the rankings may seem unusual. Why do small Pacific island nations appear alongside countries such as France, Finland, and Italy?

For countries such as Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, government expenditure is heavily influenced by external aid and grants, which finance a large share of public services despite their relatively small domestic economies. The Lowy Institute’s Pacific Aid Map shows that Kiribati receives significant international development assistance, helping explain why public spending approaches the size of its annual economic output.

Why Rich Countries Also Spend More

A second pattern emerges across Europe. Countries such as Finland (57.7%), France (57.2%), Belgium (54.5%), Italy (50.6%), and Germany (49.4%) maintain extensive welfare systems that provide universal healthcare, public pensions, unemployment insurance, and other social programs. These expenditures naturally raise government spending relative to GDP.

High-income economies also tend to have older populations and rising pension and healthcare costs. This helps explain why many of the world’s wealthiest nations consistently appear near the top of these rankings.

Historically, government expenditure has generally risen alongside economic development as countries expanded education, healthcare, and social insurance systems. However, spending trajectories differ significantly based on policy choices and demographics.

Does Higher Spending Mean Better Outcomes?

Not necessarily. Government spending can improve public services and support long-term economic development, but its impact depends on how effectively resources are allocated and whether spending is financed sustainably. Persistent deficits and rising public debt can create fiscal challenges if government expenditure consistently outpaces revenue.

The composition of spending matters as much as the total. Countries allocate public resources differently, with some emphasizing healthcare, education, and social programs, while others devote more to infrastructure, defense, or debt servicing. As a result, countries with similar levels of government spending can experience very different economic and social outcomes.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To explore more data-driven insights on global public finances and defense priorities, check out Ranked: Military Spending Growth by Country in 2025 on the Voronoi app.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/ranked-countries-with-the-biggest-governments/