Proportion of total government spending on essential … social in United States
United States: Proportion of total government spending on essential … social was 20.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in United States, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
United States recorded 20.2% for proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in 2023.
That represents a change of down 7.2% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in United States peaked at 26.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 2007.
United States ranks 74th of 128 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Proportion of total government spending on essential … social in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 19.0% | — |
| 2001 | 18.8% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 19.3% | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 19.0% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 18.6% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 18.3% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 18.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 17.9% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 19.4% | +8.3% |
| 2009 | 20.0% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 20.9% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 20.5% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 20.3% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 20.6% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 20.4% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 20.5% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 20.2% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 20.0% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 19.8% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 19.8% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 25.4% | +28.2% |
| 2021 | 26.5% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 21.7% | -18.0% |
| 2023 | 20.2% | -7.2% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 20.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 31.3%, 64% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Proportion of total government spending on essential … social in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +28.2% | 19.8% | 25.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.9% | 17.9% | 20.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.3% | 19.8% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.4% | 20.2% | 26.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More poverty & inequality data for United States
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 9 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 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 8,414 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 1 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 24.85 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 24.8% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in United States?
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in United States was 20.2% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services, social recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 26.5% in 2021.
- What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services, social recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 2007.
- How does United States rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services, social?
- United States ranks 74th out of 128 countries with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of total government spending on essential services, social rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).