Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Australia
Australia: Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social was 27.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Australia, 2000–2022
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Australia stood at 27.0%.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Australia peaked at 30.6% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 26.2%, in 2020.
That places Australia 54th out of 127 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 28.4% | — |
| 2001 | 29.8% | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 29.3% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 28.8% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 29.9% | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 29.1% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 28.5% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 28.2% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 27.8% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 30.6% | +10.1% |
| 2010 | 26.2% | -14.3% |
| 2011 | 26.4% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 26.7% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 27.3% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 27.6% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 28.2% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 28.1% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 27.3% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 26.5% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 26.5% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 26.2% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 26.6% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 27.0% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29.0% | 27.8% | 30.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.1% | 26.2% | 28.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.6% | 26.2% | 27.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More poverty & inequality data for Australia
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 3 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.64 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,690 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -0.0446 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 30.36 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 30.4% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Australia?
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Australia was 27.0% in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services, social recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 30.6% in 2009.
- What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services, social recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.2% in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services, social?
- Australia ranks 54th out of 127 countries with data for 2022.
- Is proportion of total government spending on essential services, social rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social protection (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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