Subnational government expenditure in Australia

Australia: Subnational government expenditure was 39.28 Percentage of GDP in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
39.28 Percentage of GDP
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
29th
of 36 countries
All-time high
43.92 Percentage of GDP
in 2020
All-time low
34.5 Percentage of GDP
in 2007
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Subnational government expenditure in Australia, 2000–2024

0102030402000201220242000: 36.4 Percentage of GDP2001: 35.9 Percentage of GDP2002: 35 Percentage of GDP2003: 35.1 Percentage of GDP2004: 35.1 Percentage of GDP2005: 34.7 Percentage of GDP2006: 34.6 Percentage of GDP2007: 34.5 Percentage of GDP2008: 36.8 Percentage of GDP2009: 38.1 Percentage of GDP2010: 36.7 Percentage of GDP2011: 37 Percentage of GDP2012: 36.1 Percentage of GDP2013: 36.3 Percentage of GDP2014: 36.5 Percentage of GDP2015: 37.3 Percentage of GDP2016: 36.6 Percentage of GDP2017: 36.8 Percentage of GDP2018: 36.6 Percentage of GDP2019: 41.5 Percentage of GDP2020: 43.9 Percentage of GDP2021: 39.5 Percentage of GDP2022: 37.1 Percentage of GDP2023: 38.5 Percentage of GDP2024: 39.3 Percentage of GDP

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.

Analysis

In 2024, subnational government expenditure in Australia stood at 39.28 Percentage of GDP.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, subnational government expenditure in Australia peaked at 43.92 Percentage of GDP in 2020 and was at its lowest, 34.5 Percentage of GDP, in 2007.

Australia ranks 29th of 36 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 35.6 Percentage of GDP 34.5 Percentage of GDP 38.11 Percentage of GDP 10
2010s 37.13 Percentage of GDP 36.08 Percentage of GDP 41.45 Percentage of GDP 10
2020s 39.66 Percentage of GDP 37.15 Percentage of GDP 43.92 Percentage of GDP 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 26 New Zealand 40.55 Percentage of GDP compare
  2. 27 United States 39.57 Percentage of GDP compare
  3. 28 Lithuania 39.42 Percentage of GDP compare
  4. 30 Japan 38.73 Percentage of GDP compare
  5. 31 Costa Rica 38.24 Percentage of GDP compare
  6. 32 Colombia 35.71 Percentage of GDP compare

See the full ranking of 42 places β†’

More public sector data for Australia

All data for Australia β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is subnational government expenditure in Australia?
Subnational government expenditure in Australia was 39.28 Percentage of GDP in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest subnational government expenditure recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 43.92 Percentage of GDP in 2020.
What is the lowest subnational government expenditure recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 34.5 Percentage of GDP in 2007.
How does Australia rank for subnational government expenditure?
Australia ranks 29th out of 36 countries with data for 2024.
Is subnational government expenditure rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Subnational government expenditure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Subnational government expenditure in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/subnational-government-expenditure/australia/

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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

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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>The data for the latest year available is also available in <a href="https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/topics/policy-issues/subnational-finance-and-investment/subnational-governments-infrastructure-finance-2026.pdf">PDF format</a> and via an <a href="https://www.oecd.org/en/data/dashboards/oecd-dashboard-on-subnational-government-structure-and-finance.html">Interactive dashboard</a>.