Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty was 24.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Saudi Arabia, 1970–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 24.0% for share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in 2023.
The figure is up 12.3% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Saudi Arabia peaked at 30.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 1974.
Saudi Arabia ranks 51st of 184 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 13.7% | — |
| 1971 | 11.3% | -17.7% |
| 1972 | 11.1% | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 12.0% | +7.6% |
| 1974 | 5.7% | -52.4% |
| 1975 | 10.9% | +92.0% |
| 1976 | 12.0% | +9.9% |
| 1977 | 14.2% | +17.7% |
| 1978 | 18.1% | +27.4% |
| 1979 | 15.6% | -13.7% |
| 1980 | 10.8% | -30.9% |
| 1981 | 13.9% | +29.1% |
| 1982 | 19.8% | +42.5% |
| 1983 | 22.8% | +15.3% |
| 1984 | 23.4% | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 26.9% | +15.2% |
| 1986 | 30.2% | +12.1% |
| 1987 | 30.4% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 26.9% | -11.7% |
| 1989 | 29.6% | +10.2% |
| 1990 | 24.4% | -17.8% |
| 1991 | 30.7% | +26.0% |
| 1992 | 22.3% | -27.3% |
| 1993 | 20.8% | -6.6% |
| 1994 | 20.0% | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 19.2% | -4.4% |
| 1996 | 19.5% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 21.6% | +10.6% |
| 1998 | 23.3% | +8.2% |
| 1999 | 20.2% | -13.4% |
| 2000 | 21.2% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 23.0% | +8.4% |
| 2002 | 20.7% | -10.1% |
| 2003 | 20.6% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 19.1% | -7.3% |
| 2005 | 18.2% | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 18.7% | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 19.0% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 17.3% | -8.7% |
| 2009 | 21.1% | +21.6% |
| 2010 | 19.9% | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 19.9% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 22.2% | +11.3% |
| 2013 | 25.1% | +12.9% |
| 2014 | 25.4% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 27.1% | +6.5% |
| 2016 | 23.2% | -14.5% |
| 2017 | 21.3% | -8.1% |
| 2018 | 21.8% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 21.4% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 26.2% | +22.9% |
| 2021 | 21.7% | -17.3% |
| 2022 | 21.3% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 24.0% | +12.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.5% | 5.7% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.5% | 10.8% | 30.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.2% | 19.2% | 30.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.9% | 17.3% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.7% | 19.9% | 27.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.3% | 21.3% | 26.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More poverty & inequality data for Saudi Arabia
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 2.28 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 5,122 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 2.39 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 7.99 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 8.0% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate 10.76 % change on previous year (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.228 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0862 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty in Saudi Arabia was 24.0% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 30.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 1974.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 51st out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. share of population living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.