UK welfare spending compared with Europe
OECD figures put the UK's social spending at 23.0% of GDP in 2023, the joint 12th-highest of the 27 OECD Europe countries with a figure for that year. Finland had the highest (30.9% of GDP) and Türkiye the lowest (10.0% of GDP). The simple average across the 27 was 22.3% of GDP, a difference of 0.7 percentage points from the UK's figure.
| Rank | Country | 2023 (% of GDP) | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finland UK v Finland | 30.9% | 30.4% |
| 2 | France UK v France | 30.6% | 31.9% |
| 3 | Austria UK v Austria | 30.3% | 28.5% |
| 4 | Belgium UK v Belgium | 28.3% | 28.3% |
| 5 | Italy UK v Italy | 27.5% | 28.0% |
| 6 | Germany UK v Germany | 27.3% | 25.4% |
| 7 | Denmark UK v Denmark | 26.3% | 30.0% |
| 8 | Spain UK v Spain | 25.9% | 25.2% |
| 9 | Sweden UK v Sweden | 25.8% | 27.9% |
| 10 | Greece UK v Greece | 23.7% | 25.7% |
| 11 | Luxembourg UK v Luxembourg | 23.4% | 20.5% |
| 12= | Portugal UK v Portugal | 23.0% | 25.0% |
| 12= | United Kingdom | 23.0% | 24.0% |
| 14 | Slovenia UK v Slovenia | 22.6% | 23.3% |
| 15 | Norway UK v Norway | 22.3% | 22.7% |
| 16 | Poland UK v Poland | 21.9% | 20.3% |
| 17 | Czechia UK v Czechia | 21.6% | 20.0% |
| 18 | Latvia UK v Latvia | 19.7% | 15.9% |
| 19 | Slovakia UK v Slovakia | 19.3% | 17.6% |
| 20 | Iceland UK v Iceland | 18.6% | 17.6% |
| 21 | Netherlands UK v Netherlands | 18.4% | 19.0% |
| 22 | Hungary UK v Hungary | 18.1% | 21.3% |
| 23 | Estonia UK v Estonia | 17.2% | 16.1% |
| 24 | Lithuania UK v Lithuania | 16.9% | 15.6% |
| 25 | Switzerland UK v Switzerland | 15.5% | 15.4% |
| 26 | Ireland UK v Ireland | 13.4% | 19.5% |
| 27 | Türkiye UK v Türkiye | 10.0% | 11.7% |
The UK over ten years
Over 2014 to 2023, the UK's highest value was 25.6% of GDP (2020) and its lowest 22.2% of GDP (2018).
The UK's figure was higher than the average in every year from 2014 to 2023.
In 2014 the UK ranked 12th of the 27 countries with a figure; in 2023 it ranked 12th of 27.
One country had a lower figure than the UK in 2014 and a higher one in 2023: Luxembourg.
How the OECD measures it
The OECD's public social expenditure is spending by general government on benefits and services for social purposes: pensions, health care, incapacity and sickness benefits, family benefits, unemployment support, housing support and other social policy areas, as a share of GDP. It is wider than what is often called the welfare or benefits bill because it includes health care and state pensions.
Countries compared: The OECD's 27 European member countries, including the UK and Türkiye. The table uses the latest year for which the UK and at least three-quarters of the countries the OECD covers have a figure, so every value is for the same period.
Why this differs from the UK's own figures
The Department for Work and Pensions publishes benefit expenditure tables for Great Britain in financial years, covering the benefits it pays, including the state pension. The OECD's public social expenditure is much wider: it also includes public health care, social services and some tax credits, so it is not the same as the UK's benefits bill.
Sources and receipts
Every value on this page was read from these addresses. The SHA-256 is the fingerprint of the file as downloaded, so a later change at the source can be detected.
- https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.ELS.SPD,DSD_SOCX_AGG@DF_SOCX_AGG,1.0/.A.SOCX.PT_B1GQ.ES10._T._T…
OECD, Social Expenditure Database (SOCX) · read 2026-10-14 · SHA-256
bce30803819eadf7… - OECD: Social Expenditure Database (SOCX)The publisher's page for this data, indicator SOCX.
Common questions
Where does the UK rank for social spending in European OECD countries?
Counting from the highest, the UK is 12th (joint) of 27 with 23.0% of GDP in 2023, on OECD figures.
Which OECD Europe country has the highest social spending?
Finland, at 30.9% of GDP in 2023 (OECD).
Which OECD Europe country has the lowest social spending?
Türkiye, at 10.0% of GDP in 2023 (OECD).
What is the OECD Europe average social spending?
The simple average of the 27 countries with figures for 2023 is 22.3% of GDP. The UK's figure is 23.0% of GDP.
How has the UK's social spending changed since 2014?
It was 24.0% of GDP in 2014 and 23.0% of GDP in 2023, according to the OECD.
Is this the same as the UK's official figure?
The Department for Work and Pensions publishes benefit expenditure tables for Great Britain in financial years, covering the benefits it pays, including the state pension. The OECD's public social expenditure is much wider: it also includes public health care, social services and some tax credits, so it is not the same as the UK's benefits bill.
More comparisons
Compare any two countries on GDP, inflation, unemployment, debt and life expectancy: country comparison tool.
These pages state each body's figures and the UK's position among them. They give no view on whether a figure is high or low. To report an error, send a correction request.