Canada: Expense (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Canada's expense (% of GDP) rose 0.89 percentage points on 2022 (from 18.17% to 19.06%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.49 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 10.47 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.07 percentage points in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 20% 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 2023, Canada had the 63rd highest value of the 80 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 Canada in the 2023 ranking

• Papua New Guinea — 60th of 80: 20.32%
• Macao SAR, China — 61st of 80: 19.59%
• Burkina Faso — 62nd of 80: 19.58%
• Paraguay — 64th of 80: 18.95%
• Dominican Republic — 65th of 80: 18.07%
• Sri Lanka — 66th of 80: 18.04%

What this measures

Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 34 values

Expense (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• United States — 24.43% (2023)

More public sector data for Canada

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 83 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 37.49 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 52.4 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.63% (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 312 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 3.69% (2025)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) — 121.6 billion (2024)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (% of GDP) — 3.91% (2024)
• Central government debt, total (current LCU) — 1.99 trillion (2024)
• Central government debt, total (% 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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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Canada's expense (% of GDP)?

19.06% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 5.04 percentage points from 24.1% in 1990. The highest value was 28.57% in 2020 and the lowest 16.4% in 2014.

How does Canada rank?

63rd highest of 80 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in expense (% of GDP) unusual for Canada?

In 2023, Canada's expense (% of GDP) rose 0.89 percentage points on 2022 (from 18.17% to 19.06%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.49 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Development Indicators, World Bank (WB); National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 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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