Countries With the Highest Family Benefits Spending
Every country with a figure for family benefits spending, ranked from highest to lowest. The top three are Iceland (3.82%), Poland (3.33%) and Sweden (3.32%). The middle country of the 42 has 1.98%.
What this measures
Public spending on family benefits, in % of GDP. Source: OECD. For this measure, no agreed better direction.
Child benefits, parental leave and childcare, paid as cash or provided as services. Only about a dozen countries have figures after 2021, while the rest catch up.
The full ranking
Each country’s latest figure, from 2021–2023. The year beside each value says when it was measured.
| Rank | Country | Family benefits spending | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 3.82% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 2 | Poland | 3.33% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 3 | Sweden | 3.32% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 3.19% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 5 | Denmark | 3.15% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 6 | Finland | 3.09% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 7 | Estonia | 3% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 8 | Latvia | 2.88% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 9 | Lithuania | 2.81% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 10 | Belgium | 2.8% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 11 | Norway | 2.78% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 12 | Germany | 2.65% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 13 | France | 2.63% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 14 | Austria | 2.59% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 15 | New Zealand | 2.52% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 16 | Hungary | 2.32% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 17 | Romania | 2.27% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 18 | Czechia | 2.21% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 19 | Bulgaria | 2.11% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 20 | Slovak Republic | 2.08% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 21 | Japan | 1.98% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 22 | Croatia | 1.97% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 23 | Australia | 1.89% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 24 | Israel | 1.89% | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 25 | Slovenia | 1.87% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 26 | United Kingdom | 1.85% | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 27 | Colombia | 1.84% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 28 | Chile | 1.77% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 29 | Greece | 1.69% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 30 | Switzerland | 1.68% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 31 | Korea, Rep. | 1.65% | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 32 | Netherlands | 1.62% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 33 | Canada | 1.57% | 2022 | North America |
| 34 | Spain | 1.48% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 35 | Italy | 1.43% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 36 | Ireland | 1.33% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 37 | Costa Rica | 1.32% | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 38 | Portugal | 1.32% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 39 | Peru | 1.14% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 40 | United States | 0.604% | 2023 | North America |
| 41 | Mexico | 0.548% | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 42 | Turkiye | 0.454% | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
More on family benefits spending
- Countries With the Lowest Family Benefits Spending
- Family benefits spending by country: trend over time and what it goes with
Related rankings
- Countries With the Highest Public Social Spending
- Countries With the Highest Old-age Spending
- Countries With the Highest Aid Given
- Countries With the Highest Government Spending per Capita
- Countries With the Highest Corporate Tax Rates
- Countries With the Highest HDI
- Countries With the Highest Inequality-adjusted HDI
- Countries With the Highest GDP per Capita (PPP)
A ranking describes countries, not the people in them, and a high or low place does not by itself say why. All country rankings.