EU governments' expenditure by function 2022

The government activity which received the greatest share of government spending among member states of the European Union in 2022 was social protection. Social protection refers to welfare measures such as family and child benefits, unemployment benefits, social assistance programs and other social security expenditures.

Some member states, such as Finland, Luxembourg, and Italy, spend more than 40 percent on this function, while countries such as Malta, Hungary, and Croatia spend less than 30 percent. Other common government activities such as providing health care, expenditure on economic affairs such as infrastructure and subsidies, education services, and public order such as the police force.

Share of annual general government expenditure in the European Union in 2022, by member state

Characteristic	Social protection	General public services	Health	Education	Economic affairs	Recreation, culture and religion	Defence	Public order and safety	Housing and community amenities	Environmental protection
European Union	39.2%	12.1%	15.5%	9.5%	11.8%	2.3%	2.6%	3.4%	2%	1.6%
Euro area	39.7%	12.1%	15.6%	9.2%	11.6%	2.2%	2.5%	3.4%	2%	1.7%
Finland	44.1%	14.5%	13.9%	10.4%	8.6%	2.6%	2.5%	2.2%	0.8%	0.4%
Luxembourg	43.6%	11%	12.2%	10.7%	12.4%	2.8%	1.2%	2.8%	1.1%	2.2%
Denmark	42.1%	12.9%	17.7%	11.8%	6.6%	3.1%	2.7%	2%	0.4%	0.8%
Germany	41.2%	12.4%	17.2%	9.1%	10.5%	2.1%	2.1%	3.4%	0.9%	1.1%
France	40.8%	10.6%	15.6%	9%	11.5%	2.5%	3.1%	3%	2.1%	1.9%
Portugal	39.7%	13%	16.2%	9.8%	11%	2.1%	1.7%	3.7%	1.2%	1.7%
Spain	39.6%	12.3%	14.6%	9.2%	12%	2.6%	2.4%	4.1%	1%	2.2%
Switzerland	39.2%	12.8%	7%	16.5%	11.8%	2.9%	2.5%	5%	0.6%	1.6%
Italy	39.1%	15.3%	12.7%	7.2%	11%	1.4%	2.3%	3.3%	5.9%	1.7%
Austria	38.8%	10%	17.6%	9%	17.4%	2.2%	1.1%	2.5%	0.6%	0.9%
Poland	38.4%	10%	12%	10.5%	14.9%	2.6%	3.7%	5.3%	1.1%	1.4%

0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%55%60%65%70%75%80%85%90%95%100%105%110%115%

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Release date

March 2024

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Region

Europe, EU

Survey time period

2022

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