Trends and Composition of Public Expenditures: A Global and Regional Perspective

This article examines trends in, and composition of, public expenditures for 147 countries from 1980 to 2010. Total public spending has increased significantly for these countries as a whole. While the developed world still accounts for the majority of absolute size of spending, some regions in the developing world (particularly in Asia) have observed a rapid expansion mainly due to their robust economic growth. Developing countries have also outperformed their developed counterparts in investments in productive sectors such as agriculture and infrastructure when measured as their shares of total spending. Both developing and developed countries have observed substantial growth of social protection spending, with growth in developed countries much more pronounced. Over the period of 1980–2010, the level and composition of public expenditure in the social sector and social protection diverged across regions but converged in agriculture and infrastructure expenditure.