What is the difference in subnational government expenditure between Australia and United States?

0.29 Percentage of GDP, with United States ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and United States?

25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.

Where does this data come from?

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Subnational government expenditure. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Australia vs United States: Subnational government expenditure

Australia

39.28 Percentage of GDP

in 2024

United States

39.57 Percentage of GDP

in 2024

Australia rank

29th

United States rank

27th

Subnational government expenditure over time

Australia
United States

How they compare

United States currently reports 39.57 Percentage of GDP against 39.28 Percentage of GDP in Australia, a difference of 0.29 Percentage of GDP.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Australia ahead.

Australia ranks 29th and United States ranks 27th of 36 countries.

United States has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Australia	United States	Difference	Ahead
2000s	35.6 Percentage of GDP	37.46 Percentage of GDP	1.86 Percentage of GDP	United States
2010s	37.13 Percentage of GDP	39.15 Percentage of GDP	2.02 Percentage of GDP	United States
2020s	39.66 Percentage of GDP	41.96 Percentage of GDP	2.29 Percentage of GDP	United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher subnational government expenditure, Australia or United States?: United States, at 39.57 Percentage of GDP against 39.28 Percentage of GDP in Australia as of 2024.
What is the difference in subnational government expenditure between Australia and United States?: 0.29 Percentage of GDP, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and United States?: 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
How do Australia and United States rank globally for subnational government expenditure?: Australia ranks 29th and United States ranks 27th of 36 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Subnational government expenditure. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Australia vs United States: Subnational government expenditure. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/subnational-government-expenditure/australia/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator: Subnational government expenditure
Unit: Percentage of GDP
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence: OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage: 42 places, 1,036 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed: 17 August 2026

This dataset includes subnational government expenditure expressed in several units of measures: USD PPP, USD PPP per capita, percentage of GDP, and percentage of total public expenditure. The Subnational Government Structure and Finance Dashboard compiles several datasets with comparable data on institutional organisation and public finance at subnational government level. It provides data for the time period 2000 - 2024 (based on data availability), for all 38 OECD member countries, and the average for the European Union. It includes data for the subnational government sector, for both state and local government levels for some federal countries. The data for the latest year available is also available in PDF format and via an Interactive dashboard.