 | The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(April 2022) |
This is a list of countries by spending on social welfare . Countries with the highest levels of spending are more likely to be considered welfare states.
These tables are lists of social welfare spending as a percentage of GDP compiled by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ("OECD") into the OECD Social Expenditure Database which "includes reliable and internationally comparable statistics on public and mandatory and voluntary private social expenditure at programme level." [1]
| Country | 2019 | 2016 | 2010 | 2005 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France | 31.2 | 31.5 | 30.7 | 28.7 | 27.5 |
| 2 |  Belgium | 28.9 | 29.0 | 28.3 | 25.3 | 23.5 |
| 3 |  Finland | 28.7 | 30.8 | 27.4 | 23.9 | 22.6 |
| 4 |  Italy | 28.2 | 28.9 | 27.6 | 24.1 | 22.6 |
| 5 |  Denmark | 28.0 | 28.7 | 28.9 | 25.2 | 23.8 |
| 6 |  Austria | 26.6 | 27.8 | 27.6 | 25.9 | 25.5 |
| 7 |  Sweden | 26.1 | 27.1 | 26.3 | 27.4 | 26.8 |
| 8 |  Germany | 25.1 | 25.3 | 25.9 | 26.3 | 25.4 |
| 9 |  Norway | 25.0 | 25.1 | 21.9 | 20.7 | 20.4 |
| 10 |  Spain | 23.7 | 24.6 | 25.8 | 20.4 | 19.5 |
| 11 |  Greece | 23.5 | 27.0 | 23.8 | 20.4 | 18.4 |
| 12 |  Portugal | 22.6 | 24.1 | 24.5 | 22.3 | 18.5 |
| 13 |  Luxembourg | 22.4 | 21.8 | 22.9 | 22.4 | 18.6 |
| 14 |  Japan | 21.9 | ||||
| 15 |  Slovenia | 21.2 | 22.8 | 23.4 | 21.4 | 22.4 |
| 16 |  Poland | 21.1 | 20.2 | 20.6 | 20.9 | 20.2 |
| 17 |  United Kingdom | 20.6 | 21.5 | 22.8 | 19.4 | 17.7 |
| 18 |  Hungary | 19.4 | 20.6 | 23.0 | 21.9 | 20.1 |
| 19 |  New Zealand | 18.9 | ||||
| 20 |  Czech Republic | 18.7 | 19.4 | 19.8 | 18.1 | 18.0 |
| 21 |  United States | 18.7 | 19.3 | 19.3 | 15.6 | 14.3 |
| 22 |  Estonia | 18.4 | 17.4 | 18.3 | 13.0 | 13.8 |
| 23 |  Australia | 17.8 | 19.1 | 16.7 | 16.7 | 18.2 |
| 24 |  Canada | 17.3 | ||||
| 25 |  Slovakia | 17.0 | 18.6 | 18.1 | 15.8 | 17.6 |
| 26 |  Netherlands | 16.7 | 22.0 | 22.1 | 20.5 | 18.4 |
| 27 |  Latvia | 16.2 | 14.5 | 18.7 | 12.2 | 14.8 |
| 28 |  Lithuania | 16.2 | ||||
| 29 |  Israel | 16.0 | 16.1 | 16.0 | 16.3 | 17.0 |
| 30 |  Switzerland | 16.0 | 19.7 | 18.4 | 18.4 | 16.3 |
| 31 |  Iceland | 16.0 | 15.2 | 17.0 | 15.9 | 14.6 |
| 32 |  Ireland | 14.4 | 16.1 | 22.4 | 14.9 | 12.6 |
| 33 |  Turkey | 12.5 | ||||
| 34 |  India | 12.08 | 11.6 | 10.03 | 7.6 | |
| 35 |  South Korea | 11.1 | 10.4 | 8.3 | 6.1 | 4.5 |
| 36 |  Chile | 10.9 |
e]] into account public and private social expenditure, and also includes the effect of direct taxes (income tax and social security contributions), indirect taxation of consumption on cash benefits, as well as tax breaks for social purposes. [1]
| Country | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 31.7 |
| 2 | United States | 30 |
| 3 | Belgium | 26.7 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 26.3 |
| 5 | Denmark | 25.4 |
| 6 | Italy | 25.4 |
| 7 | Finland | 25.3 |
| 8 | Germany | 24.8 |
| 9 | Sweden | 24.5 |
| 10 | United Kingdom | 24.5 |
| 11 | Austria | 24.3 |
| 12 | Switzerland | 23.7 |
| 13 | Australia | 23.5 |
| 14 | Japan | 23.5 |
| 15 | Portugal | 23 |
| 16 | Spain | 22.9 |
| 17 | Greece | 22.4 |
| 18 | Norway | 22 |
| 19 | Canada | 20.9 |
| 20 | OECD Average | 20.9 |
| 21 | Slovenia | 20.1 |
| 22 | Poland | 20.2 |
| 23 | Czech Republic | 18.6 |
| 24 | Luxembourg | 18.2 |
| 25 | Iceland | 18.2 |
| 26 | Hungary | 18.1 |
| 27 | New Zealand | 17.6 |
| 28 | Slovak Republic | 17.4 |
| 29 | Israel | 16.5 |
| 30 | Ireland | 16.1 |
| 31 | Estonia | 14.9 |
| 32 | Latvia | 13.7 |
| 33 | Chile | 13.3 |
| 34 | South Korea | 13 |
| 35 | Turkey | 11.2 |
| 36 |  Mexico | 7.7 |
This table lists social spending per head 2015, 2010, and 2005, in constant 2010 prices adjusted for purchasing power parity, in US dollars. [2]
| Country | 2015 | 2010 | 2005 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luxembourg | 19,427.60 | 19,806.90 | 18,877.00 |
| 2 | Norway | 14,711.20 | 12,780.70 | 12,138.60 |
| 3 | Denmark | 12,895.20 | 12,308.10 | 10,985.60 |
| 4 | Austria | 11,926.20 | 11,592.20 | 10,398.20 |
| 5 | Belgium | 11,917.40 | 11,338.90 | 9,798.50 |
| 6 | France | 11,796.10 | 11,180.00 | 10,248.40 |
| 7 | Sweden | 11,664.10 | 10,929.30 | 10,920.60 |
| 8 | Finland | 11,514.60 | 10,601.60 | 9,125.20 |
| 9 | Germany | 10,598.70 | 10,347.00 | 9,731.60 |
| 10 | United States | 9,734.40 | 9,317.30 | 7,574.00 |
| 11 | Italy | 9,456.90 | 9,417.10 | 8,765.80 |
| 12 | Ireland | 9,397.80 | 10,638.70 | 7,293.50 |
| 13 | Switzerland | 8,649.30 | 7,968.90 | 7,791.20 |
| 14 | Australia | 8,328.10 | 6,997.00 | 6,713.50 |
| 15 | United Kingdom | 8,292.30 | 8,045.40 | 6,740.80 |
| 16 | Japan | 8,214.10 | 7,512.30 | 6,071.90 |
| 17 | Netherlands | 8,069.10 | 7,922.20 | 8,612.30 |
| 18 | Spain | 7,832.10 | 7,902.20 | 6,599.00 |
| 19 | Canada | 7,456.20 | 7,028.20 | 6,439.00 |
| OECD - Average | 7,071.10 | 7,203.40 | 6,289.20 | |
| 20 | New Zealand | 6,612.50 | 6,416.60 | 5,448.00 |
| 21 | Iceland | 6,589.20 | 6,514.00 | 6,273.80 |
| 22 | Portugal | 6,418.80 | 6,689.80 | 5,947.80 |
| 23 | Slovenia | 6,364.50 | 6,495.20 | 5,593.00 |
| 24 | Greece | 6,027.60 | 7,001.90 | 5,762.20 |
| 25 | Czech Republic | 5,799.70 | 5,439.70 | 4,541.20 |
| 26 | Hungary | 5,031.10 | 4,965.40 | 4,721.00 |
| 27 | Slovakia | 5,005.80 | 4,465.70 | 3,129.70 |
| 28 | Israel | 4,852.40 | 4,452.30 | 3,905.40 |
| 29 | Estonia | 4,639.20 | 3,948.40 | 2,801.50 |
| 30 | Lithuania | 4,084.30 | 3,899.70 | 2,418.90 |
| 31 | South Korea | 3,493.30 | 2,495.80 | 1,563.20 |
| 32 | Latvia | 3,481.50 | 3,427.30 | 2,068.00 |
| 33 | Turkey | 2,656.90 | 2,131.80 | 1,582.40 |
| 34 | Chile | 2,243.10 | 1,894.20 | 1,405.60 |
| 35 | Mexico | 1,280.00 | 1,124.10 | 656.40 |
| n/a | Poland | n/a | 4,292.70 | 3,454.90 |
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In macroeconomics and finance, a transfer payment is a redistribution of income and wealth by means of the government making a payment, without goods or services being received in return. These payments are considered to be non-exhaustive because they do not directly absorb resources or create output. Examples of transfer payments include welfare, financial aid, social security, and government subsidies for certain businesses.
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Examples of health care systems of the world, sorted by continent, are as follows.
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South Korea's pension scheme was introduced relatively recently, compared to other democratic nations. Half of the country's population aged 65 and over lives in relative poverty, or nearly four times the 13% average for member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This makes old age poverty an urgent social problem. Public social spending by general government is half the OECD average, and is the lowest as a percentage of GDP among OECD member countries.
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This article includes 2 lists of countries of the world and their total expenditure on health as a percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Total expenditure includes both public and private expenditures. See also: List of countries by total health expenditure per capita.