Edward Conard

Top Ten New York Times Bestselling Author

Upside of Inequality Unintended Consequences
  • “…serious thinking for serious thinkers. …a thought-provoking blueprint for growing middle- and working-class incomes.” - Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts
  • Blog
  • Topics
    • All Media Appearances
    • Productivity
    • Monetary Policy
    • Banking
    • Politics
    • Upside endnotes
    • Stuff Ed’s Assistant Thought He Might Like
  • OpEds
  • Reviews
  • About
    • About the Author
    • About the Books
    • Read Excerpts
    • Read the Reviews
    • Debates
    • Media and TV
  • Contact
  • twitter
  • facebook
  • youtube
  • linkedin
  • Advanced SearchChoose Categories To Search Within
    • Close Advanced Search

Advanced Search

America Spends 25 Percent More per Capita on Social Welfare than Any Other Country

Despite popular misconceptions, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) data confirms America spends more on social welfare than any other country—$13,500 per capita in 2009. This is nearly 25 percent more per capita than the second largest spender, France, and 35 percent more than Germany, Sweden, and other high-spending Scandinavian countries.

UntitledSeveral factors obscure this truth. Europe taxes benefits more heavily, whereas benefits are often tax-exempt in the United States. The private sector finances a much greater share of social spending in America, particularly healthcare. While France spends more than America as a share of GDP—32 vs. 29 percent—the much larger U.S. GDP per capita—$47,000 vs. $34,000, $36,000 and $38,000 in France, Germany, and Sweden respectively—yields much greater spending per capita.

The current OECD findings are similar to its 2007 findings—the year prior to the financial crisis—and to a 2003 study that contributed to the OECD’s methodology. In both previous studies, the U.S. spent more per capita than other countries and a similar amount per capita before the crisis in 2007 as it did in 2009.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

© Copyright 2022 Coherent Research Institute · All Rights Reserved

 

Loading Comments...