Government Spending Index By Country January 2023

Government Spending represents the total amount of expenditures by the government across various sectors and programs. It includes spending on infrastructure, social welfare, defense, and other public services. Monitoring this measure helps in understanding the allocation of public resources and the role of government in promoting economic growth and societal well-being.

The scoring system for government spending operates on a non-linear scale. Minimal spending is mildly penalized, while spending exceeding 3 percent of GDP results in significantly harsher scores, following a quadratic pattern. For instance, doubling the spending leads to a four-fold reduction in freedom. Scores of zero are only assigned to exceedingly high levels of government spending, such as exceeding 58 percent of GDP.

In January 2020, Yemen had the highest index value for government spending, with a score of 96.5. Nigeria followed closely in the second position with a score of 96.2, and Guatemala secured the third position with a score of 95.6. On the other hand, North Korea, Libya, and Micronesia received scores of zero, indicating exceedingly high levels of government spending.

Moving to January 2021, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) took the first position with a score of 96, followed by Yemen in the second position with a score of 95.6. Nigeria maintained its presence in the top three with a score of 95.3. Libya, Micronesia, and Timor-Leste received scores of zero.

In January 2022, Haiti secured the first position with a score of 97, followed by the DR Congo with a score of 95.7. Nigeria remained in the top three with a score of 95.3. Similar to previous years, North Korea, Micronesia, and Timor-Leste received scores of zero.

As of January 2023, Haiti maintained its first position with a score of 96.8, while Turkmenistan secured the second position with a score of 96.2. The DR Congo remained in the top three with a score of 95.2. Once again, North Korea, Micronesia, and Timor-Leste received scores of zero.

Monitoring the Government Spending index provides insights into the level of government intervention in the economy and its impact on economic freedom. It allows for comparisons between countries and highlights the varying degrees of public expenditure.

Government Spending Index By Country January 2023 (Index, January 2023)

Rank	Country	Index
1	Haiti	96.8
2	Turkmenistan	96.2
3	DR Congo	95.2
3	Nigeria	95.2
4	Venezuela	95
5	Sudan	94.9
6	Iran	94.8
7	Bangladesh	94.7
8	Guatemala	94
9	Ethiopia	93.7
10	Equatorial Guinea	93.2
11	Madagascar	93
12	Zimbabwe	92.6
13	Guinea	92.5
14	Tanzania	91.3
15	Cameroon	91.1
15	Taiwan	91.1
16	Chad	91
17	Indonesia	90.6
18	Benin	90.4
18	Gabon	90.4
19	Laos	90.1
20	Mauritania	90
21	Dominican Republic	89.1
22	Singapore	89
23	Pakistan	88.9
24	Comoros	88.5
24	Ivory Coast	88.5
25	Sri Lanka	88
26	Uganda	87.4
27	Central African Republic	87.3
28	Togo	87.1
29	Angola	86.9
30	Vietnam	86.5
31	Myanmar	86.4
32	Papua New Guinea	86
33	Costa Rica	85.9
34	Malawi	85.2
35	Kazakhstan	85.1
36	Republic of the Congo	84.7
37	Niger	84.3
38	Guinea-Bissau	84.2
39	Gambia	83.5
40	Peru	83.3
41	Sao Tome and Principe	83
42	Malaysia	82.4
43	Djibouti	82.2
44	South Korea	82
45	Kenya	81.7
45	Paraguay	81.7
46	Thailand	81.5
47	Philippines	81.3
48	Ghana	81.2
49	Panama	81.1
49	Sierra Leone	81.1
50	Lebanon	80.7
51	Burkina Faso	80.6
52	Senegal	80.5
52	Mali	80.5
52	Ireland	80.5
53	Egypt	79.4
54	Bahamas	79.3
55	Cambodia	78.7
56	Mexico	77.8
57	Honduras	77.5
58	Nepal	77.2
59	Belize	76.6
60	Armenia	76.3
61	Guyana	76
62	Burundi	75.6
63	Tajikistan	75.2
64	Uzbekistan	74.9
65	Nicaragua	74.4
66	India	73.8
67	Chile	73.5
68	Saint Lucia	73.4
69	Bhutan	72.2
69	Jamaica	72.2
70	Morocco	72
71	Cape Verde	71.7
72	El Salvador	71.6
72	United Arab Emirates	71.6
73	Rwanda	71.1
74	Albania	71
75	Kosovo	70.8
76	Mozambique	70.6
77	Mauritius	70.2
78	Uruguay	70.1
79	Brunei	70
79	Georgia	70
79	Jordan	70
80	Barbados	69.7
81	Zambia	69.6
82	Fiji	69.4
83	Qatar	68.9
84	Liberia	68.6
84	Samoa	68.6
85	Eswatini	68.5
85	Trinidad and Tobago	68.5
86	Tunisia	68.4
87	South Africa	67.3
88	Bahrain	66.3
89	Turkey	66.1
90	Colombia	66
90	Kyrgyzstan	66
91	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	65.7
92	China	65.1
93	Moldova	64.4
94	Mongolia	64.1
95	North Macedonia	63.9
95	Switzerland	63.9
96	Azerbaijan	63
97	Solomon Islands	62.4
98	Eritrea	62.3
99	Suriname	61.4
100	Botswana	61.1
101	Bolivia	60.8
102	Russia	60.4
103	Ecuador	60.3
103	Saudi Arabia	60.3
104	Romania	59.7
105	Belarus	57.8
106	Lithuania	56.9
107	Bulgaria	56.5
108	Brazil	55
109	Argentina	53.9
110	Namibia	53
111	Algeria	50.7
111	Oman	50.7
112	New Zealand	49.7
113	United States	49.3
114	Israel	49.1
115	Latvia	49
116	Japan	48.4
116	Maldives	48.4
117	Seychelles	47.8
118	Estonia	47.5
119	Australia	47
120	Bosnia and Herzegovina	46.6
121	Tonga	46.5
122	Malta	45.9
123	Cyprus	45.8
124	Vanuatu	45.5
125	United Kingdom	41.9
126	Luxembourg	41.6
127	Slovakia	41.2
128	Poland	40
129	Czech Republic	39.5
130	Netherlands	37.9
131	Serbia	37.6
132	Canada	35
133	Portugal	34.7
134	Montenegro	31.7
135	Iceland	31.5
135	Slovenia	31.5
136	Spain	30.2
137	Hungary	29.8
138	Germany	28.3
139	Sweden	26.2
140	Croatia	25.1
141	Denmark	20.9
142	Norway	18.7
143	Italy	13.7
144	Austria	13
145	Lesotho	11.2
146	Greece	9.7
147	Finland	8.5
148	Belgium	8.1
149	Kuwait	3.2
150	Dominica	3.1
151	Cuba	0
151	France	0
151	Kiribati	0
151	Micronesia	0
151	North Korea	0
151	Timor-Leste	0