 | 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 | 2055 | 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 |
Total net social spending in terms of percent of GDP, takes 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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Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organizations, or administered by a government agency. Social services are connected with the concept of welfare and the welfare state, as countries with large welfare programs often provide a wide range of social services. Social services are employed to address the wide range of needs of a society. Prior to industrialisation, the provision of social services was largely confined to private organisations and charities, with the extent of its coverage also limited. Social services are now generally regarded globally as a 'necessary function' of society and a mechanism through which governments may address societal issues.
The government budget balance, also referred to as the general government balance, public budget balance, or public fiscal balance, is the difference between government revenues and spending. For a government that uses accrual accounting the budget balance is calculated using only spending on current operations, with expenditure on new capital assets excluded. A positive balance is called a government budget surplus, and a negative balance is a government budget deficit. A government budget presents the government's proposed revenues and spending for a financial year.
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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.
A country's gross government debt is the financial liabilities of the government sector. Changes in government debt over time reflect primarily borrowing due to past government deficits. A deficit occurs when a government's expenditures exceed revenues. Government debt may be owed to domestic residents, as well as to foreign residents. If owed to foreign residents, that quantity is included in the country's external debt.
Household final consumption expenditure (POES) is a transaction of the national account's use of income account representing consumer spending. It consists of the expenditure incurred by resident households on individual consumption goods and services, including those sold at prices that are not economically significant. It also includes various kinds of imputed expenditure of which the imputed rent for services of owner-occupied housing is generally the most important one. The household sector covers not only those living in traditional households, but also those people living in communal establishments, such as retirement homes, boarding houses and prisons.
Government spending or expenditure includes all government consumption, investment, and transfer payments. In national income accounting, the acquisition by governments of goods and services for current use, to directly satisfy the individual or collective needs of the community, is classed as government final consumption expenditure. Government acquisition of goods and services intended to create future benefits, such as infrastructure investment or research spending, is classed as government investment. These two types of government spending, on final consumption and on gross capital formation, together constitute one of the major components of gross domestic product.
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Examples of health care systems of the world, sorted by continent, are as follows.
Welfare in Poland is part of the social security system in Poland. It constitutes about 20% of government spending, and has been roughly stable in the past several decades. The Constitution of Poland states that all citizens have the right to social security in case of being unable to find a job, reaching the retirement age, or suffering from inability to work due to illness or disability. In detail, the law on welfare in Poland is covered by a 2003 law, updated several times, including in 2012.
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.
Government spending in the United States is the spending of the federal government of the United States and the spending of its state and local governments.
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.