Expense (current US$) by country
Expense is cash payments for operating activities of the government in providing goods and services. It includes compensation of employees (such as wages and salaries), interest and subsidies, grants, social benefits, and other expenses such as rent and dividends. Data are in current U.S. dollars.
What the numbers show
Expense (current US$) is currently reported for 29 countries. The highest value is 233.74 billion current US$ in Zimbabwe; the lowest is 4.46 million current US$ in Liberia.
The median across all reporting countries is 1.80 billion current US$, and the mean is 20.72 billion current US$.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 52,362.
Over the past decade 23 countries rose and 3 fell. The largest increase was in Ghana (up 741.1%), and the largest decrease in Zimbabwe (down 73.4%).
Expense: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zimbabwe | 233.74 billion current US$ | 1997 | down 73.4% | volatile |
| 2 | South Africa | 133.43 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 304.8% | rising |
| 3 | Egypt | 67.46 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 194.0% | volatile |
| 4 | Algeria | 59.07 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 163.0% | rising |
| 5 | Morocco | 32.92 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 167.5% | rising |
| 6 | Tunisia | 15.21 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 177.7% | rising |
| 7 | Nigeria | 14.94 billion current US$ | 2008 | — | rising |
| 8 | Ghana | 8.36 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 741.1% | volatile |
| 9 | Kenya | 7.68 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 220.3% | volatile |
| 10 | Botswana | 4.71 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 235.6% | volatile |
| 11 | Ethiopia | 3.23 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 174.2% | volatile |
| 12 | Uganda | 2.94 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 132.3% | rising |
| 13 | Zambia | 2.78 billion current US$ | 2010 | up 408.8% | volatile |
| 14 | Namibia | 2.12 billion current US$ | 2007 | up 87.4% | rising |
| 15 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 1.80 billion current US$ | 2010 | up 46.2% | rising |
| 16 | Mali | 1.36 billion current US$ | 2010 | up 385.4% | rising |
| 17 | Burkina Faso | 1.33 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 271.4% | rising |
| 18 | Cameroon | 1.20 billion current US$ | 1999 | down 32.9% | falling |
| 19 | Madagascar | 1.11 billion current US$ | 2008 | up 168.8% | rising |
| 20 | Benin | 1.05 billion current US$ | 2011 | up 274.0% | rising |
| 21 | Congo | 902.06 million current US$ | 2005 | up 42.9% | flat |
| 22 | Lesotho | 831.37 million current US$ | 2008 | up 196.4% | rising |
| 23 | Sierra Leone | 632.75 million current US$ | 2011 | up 184.7% | rising |
| 24 | Togo | 585.29 million current US$ | 2011 | up 97.4% | rising |
| 25 | Eswatini | 456.90 million current US$ | 2003 | — | rising |
| 26 | Cape Verde | 436.29 million current US$ | 2009 | — | rising |
| 27 | Seychelles | 280.31 million current US$ | 2011 | up 7.5% | rising |
| 28 | Burundi | 166.85 million current US$ | 1999 | down 37.9% | falling |
| 29 | Liberia | 4.46 million current US$ | 2011 | up 272.2% | volatile |
About this data
Expense is cash payments for operating activities of the government in providing goods and services. It includes compensation of employees (such as wages and salaries), interest and subsidies, grants, social benefits, and other expenses such as rent and dividends. Data are in current U.S. dollars.