A stacked bar chart titled "Government spending by function, 2023" showing the share of total government spending by purpose for Finland, France, OECD countries, Chile, South Korea, and the United States.

A bar chart comparing government spending across different functions and countries.

Government spending by function, 2023 Share of total government spending by purpose of government activity. Categories are based on the Classification of the Functions of Government (COFOG). Our World in Data Social protection Health General public services Education Economic affairs Defense Public order and safety Housing and community amenities Recreation, culture and religion Environmental protection Finland 46% 14% 12% 11% 8.2% France 41% 16% 11% 8.8% 11% OECD countries 31% 19% 14% 11% 11% 5% 4% Chile 30% 20% 10% 16% 10% 5.9% South Korea 26% 15% 12% 14% 13% 7.1% United States 20% 26% 18% 14% 8.3% 7.8% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Data source: OECD (2026) OurWorldInData.org/government-spending | CC BY Note: Data for general government, which includes central, state, and local governments and social security funds. For the US, environmental protection spending is included in "Housing and community amenities" and "Economic affairs."