Government expenditures in agriculture 2001–2019. Global and regional trends
15/06/2021
Since 2012 FAO collects Government Expenditure on Agriculture (GEA) data through a questionnaire sent annually in May to more than 190 countries. The questionnaire was jointly developed with the International Monetary Fund, using the Classification of the Functions of Government (COFOG). For some countries, data are sourced directly from IMF Government Finance Statistics database or from official country websites and publications.
Between 2001 and 2019, the global share of agriculture in government expenditure reported by countries showed a steady increase from 1.63 percent in 2001 to 1.71 percent in 2010 and 2.12 percent in 2019 – it remained stable at around 2 percent during the last decade. At the country level, the share is very variable, ranging between 0.02 percent and 25 percent of the total outlays. In absolute terms, this translates to an estimated government spending of about USD 413 billion in 2010 to USD 613 billion in 2019, roughly around 18 percent of the global agriculture value added. The share of agriculture in government expenditures decreased in all regions except Asia between 2001 and 2019.
