Norway vs South Africa: General government total expenditure

Norway
2.64 trillion current LCU
in 2025
South Africa
2.59 trillion current LCU
in 2025
Norway rank
57th
South Africa rank
59th

General government total expenditure over time

  • Norway
  • South Africa
01.0T2.0T3.0T198020022025

How they compare

Norway currently reports 2.64 trillion current LCU against 2.59 trillion current LCU in South Africa, a difference of 53.11 billion current LCU.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 46 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Norway ahead.

Norway ranks 57th and South Africa ranks 59th of 195 countries.

Norway has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Norway South Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 232.57 billion current LCU 0 current LCU 232.57 billion current LCU Norway
1990s 468.65 billion current LCU 0 current LCU 468.65 billion current LCU Norway
2000s 845.35 billion current LCU 453.39 billion current LCU 391.97 billion current LCU Norway
2010s 1.46 trillion current LCU 1.28 trillion current LCU 183.11 billion current LCU Norway
2020s 2.27 trillion current LCU 2.23 trillion current LCU 40.86 billion current LCU Norway

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher general government total expenditure, Norway or South Africa?
Norway, at 2.64 trillion current LCU against 2.59 trillion current LCU in South Africa as of 2025.
What is the difference in general government total expenditure between Norway and South Africa?
53.11 billion current LCU, with Norway ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and South Africa?
46 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2025.
How do Norway and South Africa rank globally for general government total expenditure?
Norway ranks 57th and South Africa ranks 59th of 195 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as General government total expenditure (current LCU). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Norway vs South Africa: General government total expenditure. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/general-government-total-expenditure-current-lcu/norway/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
General government total expenditure (current LCU)
Unit
current LCU
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
197 places, 9,024 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release