Argentina: Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Argentina's primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) rose 16.15 percentage points on 2020 (from 112.06% to 128.21%).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2020), the average change was −1.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 13.27 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 20.68 percentage points in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 26.59 percentage points in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2021, Argentina had the 2nd highest value of the 18 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Argentina in the 2021 ranking

• Nicaragua — 1st of 18: 134.64%
• Zimbabwe — 3rd of 18: 127.88%
• Dominican Republic — 4th of 18: 125.71%
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 5th of 18: 111.52%

What this measures

Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget measures the extent to which aggregate budget expenditure outturn reflects the amount originally approved, as defined in government budget documentation and fiscal reports. The coverage is budgetary central government (BCG) and the time period covered is the last three completed fiscal years.

Limitations: Although not all countries have used the PEFA methodology on an annual basis for the PEFA PI-1 indicator, the methodology relies on standard data sets for approved and final budget outturns which are commonly produced at least annually in every country. The countries that have not used the methodology to date are primarily highly developed countries which would have less difficulty in providing the necessary data than those in the lower and middle income categories that have been primary users of Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) to date. (As of: 2024-07-29) One limitation of the indicator is that it is an aggregate indicator of budget reliability.

All 15 values

Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 95.49% (2019)
• Belize — 101.14% (2022)
• Bolivia — 82.65% (2022)
• Brazil — 100.83% (2021)
• Chile — 100.6% (2022)
• Colombia — 88.98% (2022)
• Costa Rica — 95.59% (2021)
• Dominica — 92.09% (2022)

More public sector data for Argentina

• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 4.82 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.56% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 108 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 3.88 billion (2025)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 8.18 trillion (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 8.29% (2024)
• Social contributions (current LCU) — 29.54 trillion (2024)
• Social contributions (% of revenue) — 29.96% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU) — 98.45 trillion (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Argentina's primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%)?

128.21% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2007?

It is up 2.42 percentage points from 125.79% in 2007. The highest value was 135.06% in 2016 and the lowest 106.85% in 2009.

How does Argentina rank?

2nd highest of 18 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) unusual for Argentina?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GF.XPD.BUDG.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA), World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.pefa.org/node/5239, note: The raw data collected in order to calculate this indicator are the initially Approved and Executed Budgets. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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