Proportion of total government spending on essential services in United States of America
United States of America: Proportion of total government spending on essential services was 13.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
13.8%
Change on year
down 4.4%
Rank
2nd
of 4 groups
All-time high
18.0%
in 2000
All-time low
12.6%
in 2021
Years of data
24
2000–2023
Proportion of total government spending on essential services in United States of America, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of total government spending on essential services in United States of America is 13.8%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.4% on the previous year and down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services in United States of America peaked at 18.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 12.6%, in 2021.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Proportion of total government spending on essential services in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 18.0% | — |
| 2001 | 17.7% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 17.3% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 17.0% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 17.0% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 16.7% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 16.8% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 16.7% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 16.2% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 15.6% | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 15.6% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 15.5% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 15.6% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 16.0% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 16.0% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 16.0% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 15.9% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 15.9% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 15.7% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 15.3% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 12.7% | -17.0% |
| 2021 | 12.6% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 14.5% | +14.8% |
| 2023 | 13.8% | -4.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.9% | 15.6% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.7% | 15.3% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.4% | 12.6% | 14.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 1 Solomon Islands 31.9% compare
- 2 Uzbekistan 28.5% compare
- 3 Marshall Islands 24.8% compare
- 4 Namibia 24.4% compare
- 5 Bhutan 21.4% compare
More education data for United States of America
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services 11.3% (2021)
- Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex 11.6% (2025)
- Adjusted gender parity index for participation rate in formal and 1.08 (2024)
- Participation rate in formal and non-formal education and training 54.6% (2024)
- Adjusted gender parity index for completion rate, by location, wealth 1 (2024)
- Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by 100.0% (2023)
- Adjusted gender parity index for the proportion of teachers with the 1.0% (2023)
- Number of destroyed or damaged educational facilities attributed to 197 (2021)
- Number of disruptions to educational services attributed to disasters 35 (2021)
- Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex 11.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of total government spending on essential services in United States of America?
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services in United States of America was 13.8% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 18.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.6% in 2021.
- How does United States of America rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services?
- United States of America ranks 2nd out of 4 groups with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of total government spending on essential services rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services, education (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).