Female employment vs. public spending on family benefits by country
Public social expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. Includes both in-cash and in-kind benefits in family programs.
What the numbers show
Female employment vs. public spending on family benefits is currently reported for 41 countries. The highest value is 3.8% in Iceland; the lowest is 0.5% in Türkiye.
The median across all reporting countries is 2.0%, and the mean is 2.1%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 8.
Over the past decade 25 countries rose and 16 fell. The largest increase was in Poland (up 157.9%), and the largest decrease in Ireland (down 58.3%).
Female employment vs. public spending on family benefits: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 3.8% | 2021 | up 16.7% | rising |
| 2 | Poland | 3.3% | 2021 | up 157.9% | rising |
| 3 | Sweden | 3.3% | 2021 | down 2.2% | falling |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 3.2% | 2021 | down 5.6% | rising |
| 5 | Denmark | 3.1% | 2021 | down 19.7% | rising |
| 6 | Finland | 3.1% | 2021 | up 0.4% | rising |
| 7 | Estonia | 3.0% | 2021 | up 34.7% | rising |
| 8 | Latvia | 2.9% | 2021 | up 53.5% | rising |
| 9 | Lithuania | 2.8% | 2021 | up 28.9% | rising |
| 10 | Belgium | 2.8% | 2021 | down 1.4% | rising |
| 11 | Norway | 2.8% | 2021 | down 10.0% | rising |
| 12 | Germany | 2.6% | 2021 | up 26.5% | rising |
| 13 | France | 2.6% | 2022 | down 9.7% | rising |
| 14 | Austria | 2.6% | 2021 | down 4.6% | falling |
| 15 | New Zealand | 2.5% | 2022 | down 22.7% | rising |
| 16 | Hungary | 2.3% | 2021 | down 26.7% | falling |
| 17 | Romania | 2.3% | 2021 | up 39.4% | rising |
| 18 | Czechia | 2.2% | 2021 | up 5.3% | rising |
| 19 | Bulgaria | 2.1% | 2021 | up 60.7% | rising |
| 20 | Slovakia | 2.1% | 2021 | up 27.8% | falling |
| 21 | Japan | 2.0% | 2022 | up 74.2% | volatile |
| 22 | Croatia | 2.0% | 2021 | up 27.3% | rising |
| 23 | Australia | 1.9% | 2022 | down 31.5% | rising |
| 24 | Israel | 1.9% | 2023 | down 3.2% | falling |
| 25 | Slovenia | 1.9% | 2021 | down 12.9% | falling |
| 26 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 1.9% | 2022 | down 52.3% | rising |
| 27 | Colombia | 1.8% | 2023 | up 5.0% | rising |
| 28 | Greece | 1.7% | 2021 | up 65.2% | rising |
| 29 | Switzerland | 1.7% | 2021 | up 21.4% | rising |
| 30 | Republic of Korea | 1.7% | 2022 | up 107.0% | volatile |
| 31 | Netherlands | 1.6% | 2021 | up 3.6% | falling |
| 32 | Canada | 1.6% | 2022 | up 27.3% | rising |
| 33 | Spain | 1.5% | 2021 | up 11.0% | volatile |
| 34 | Italy | 1.4% | 2021 | up 8.5% | rising |
| 35 | Ireland | 1.3% | 2021 | down 58.3% | rising |
| 36 | Costa Rica | 1.3% | 2022 | up 48.4% | rising |
| 37 | Portugal | 1.3% | 2021 | up 9.2% | rising |
| 38 | Peru | 1.1% | 2023 | up 17.5% | rising |
| 39 | United States of America | 0.6% | 2023 | down 9.0% | rising |
| 40 | Mexico | 0.5% | 2023 | down 42.3% | volatile |
| 41 | Türkiye | 0.5% | 2021 | up 38.4% | falling |
About this data
Public social expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. Includes both in-cash and in-kind benefits in family programs.