In 2025, general government expenditure as a share of GDP in Afghanistan was 20.0 %, up from 19.7 % in 2024. Explore the historical series and compare Afghanistan with other economies below.
Government expenditure (% of GDP)
Total expenditure of the general government
Afghanistan
Year
%
2025
20.0
2024
19.7
2023
17.0
2022
16.1
2021
17.9
2020
27.9
2019
28.0
2018
28.9
2017
27.7
2016
28.0
2015
25.9
2014
25.4
2013
25.0
2012
25.0
2011
21.9
2010
20.8
2009
21.2
2008
20.9
2007
21.4
2006
18.3
2005
15.7
2004
15.1
2003
11.9
2002
6.9
How Afghanistan compares
Government expenditure (% of GDP) compared with other countries
No countries selected. Select at least one country to display data.
No country matches this search.
Government expenditure (% of GDP)
About this indicator
This indicator measures general government total expenditure as a percentage of GDP. It captures all spending by the consolidated public sector in a given year, including wages and social benefits, interest payments, subsidies, transfers, and net acquisition of nonfinancial assets. Comparing expenditure-to-GDP ratios across countries shows the size of government relative to the economy. A higher ratio means the public sector accounts for a larger share of economic activity. The series follows the IMF World Economic Outlook definition of government expenditure, under the Government Finance Statistics Manual (GFSM) framework.
Sources and updates
Data sources
The data for this indicator are drawn from the IMF World Economic Outlook.
Last update
This indicator was last updated on Econorama on 18 June 2026 and reflects the latest data available from the underlying sources at that time.