November 9, 2015 3:22PM 

# How Big Is the Government? 

By [Chris Edwards](https://www.cato.org/people/chris-edwards) 

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One measure of the government’s size is government spending as a share of gross domestic product. The OECD has released new data ([Table 25](http://www.oecd.org/eco/outlook/economicoutlookannextables.htm)) on this measure for 31 member countries, which I chart here for 2015. The spending includes all levels government: federal, state, and local.

![Media Name: oecd_gov_spend.png](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/wp-content/uploads/oecd_gov_spend.png?itok=kqqVSHC9) 

##### Related Tags 

[Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy) 

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