Skip to content
AU
AustralianEconomicData
Menu
Government & Public Finance•Series ID: GGDPECCVPDS•1959–2026

Public Final Demand Share of GDP - Historical Data

Measures the combined footprint of Commonwealth, State, and Local government recurrent expenditure and infrastructure investment in the Australian economy.

Download CSV

Current Statistics & Historical Records

Latest Reading (2026 Q2)
28.8%
Prev (2026 Q1): 28.5%+0.3 pp
Highest Recorded (2020 Q2)
29.0%

COVID-19 pandemic shock & 0.10% cash rate floor

Lowest Recorded (1960 Q3)
17.0%

Recorded in 1960 Q3

Long-Run Mean (1959–2026)
24.0%

68 annual observations · Quarterly

Public Final Demand Share of GDP - Historical Series (1959–2026)

% of GDP

Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, or toggle between full annual history (1959–2026) and recent quarterly releases.

Loading interactive chart...
Source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (GGDPECCVPDS) Latest: 28.8 % of GDP (2026 Q2)

Public Final Demand Share of GDP by Decade (1959–2026)

Decade averages, peaks, and troughs across Australian economic cycles

1950s1959–1959
18.4%
High (1959):18.4%
Low (1959):18.4%
1960s1960–1969
20.6%
High (1968):22.4%
Low (1960):17.8%
1970s1970–1979
23.5%
High (1975):26.0%
Low (1970):21.3%
1980s1980–1989
25.9%
High (1986):27.9%
Low (1989):24.1%
1990s1990–1999
24.6%
High (1991):26.0%
Low (1998):23.7%
2000s2000–2009
23.1%
High (2009):24.3%
Low (2003):22.6%
2010s2010–2019
24.2%
High (2019):25.6%
Low (2014):23.0%
2020s2020–2026
27.6%
High (2025):28.7%
Low (2022):26.2%

Public Final Demand Share of GDP - Historical Table (1959–2026)

Unit: % of GDP · Source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (GGDPECCVPDS)

Download full CSV (68 rows) ↓
YearPublic Share of GDP (% of GDP)Year Range (Low – High)Historical Context / Year Snapshot
202628.6%28.5% – 28.8% The Australian Economy in 2026 →
202528.7%28.6% – 28.7%Disinflation & monetary policy recalibration
202428.2%27.5% – 28.7% The Australian Economy in 2024 →
202326.9%26.1% – 27.4% The Australian Economy in 2023 →
202226.2%25.9% – 26.9%Post-pandemic inflation surge & rapid RBA tightening cycle
202126.9%26.4% – 27.5% The Australian Economy in 2021 →
202027.9%26.6% – 29.0%COVID-19 pandemic shock & 0.10% cash rate floor
201925.6%25.2% – 26.1% The Australian Economy in 2019 →
201825.0%24.7% – 25.3% The Australian Economy in 2018 →
201724.6%24.1% – 24.9% The Australian Economy in 2017 →
201624.6%24.2% – 24.7% The Australian Economy in 2016 →
201523.8%23.3% – 24.3% The Australian Economy in 2015 →
201423.0%22.9% – 23.1% The Australian Economy in 2014 →
201323.4%23.3% – 23.7% The Australian Economy in 2013 →
201223.8%23.4% – 24.3% The Australian Economy in 2012 →
201124.0%23.7% – 24.3%China mining investment & Terms of Trade supercycle peak
201024.6%24.3% – 25.4% The Australian Economy in 2010 →
200924.3%23.5% – 24.9% The Australian Economy in 2009 →
200823.3%23.2% – 23.5%Global Financial Crisis (GFC) & emergency rate cuts
200722.7%22.5% – 23.2% The Australian Economy in 2007 →
200623.1%22.8% – 23.4% The Australian Economy in 2006 →
200522.9%22.7% – 23.1% The Australian Economy in 2005 →
200422.6%22.2% – 22.8% The Australian Economy in 2004 →
200322.6%22.4% – 23.0% The Australian Economy in 2003 →
200222.9%22.8% – 22.9% The Australian Economy in 2002 →
200123.1%22.8% – 23.3% The Australian Economy in 2001 →
200023.6%23.2% – 24.0%Introduction of the 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST)
199923.9%23.6% – 24.2% The Australian Economy in 1999 →
199823.7%23.2% – 24.2% The Australian Economy in 1998 →
199724.1%23.8% – 24.4% The Australian Economy in 1997 →
199623.8%23.3% – 24.6% The Australian Economy in 1996 →
199524.1%23.9% – 24.4% The Australian Economy in 1995 →
199424.9%24.5% – 25.8% The Australian Economy in 1994 →
199325.1%24.8% – 25.6%RBA formalises 2–3% inflation targeting
199225.8%25.4% – 26.1% The Australian Economy in 1992 →
199126.0%25.3% – 26.7%Early 1990s recession ("The recession we had to have")
199024.8%24.7% – 25.0%Monetary tightening peak (17.5% Cash Rate)
198924.1%23.4% – 24.6% The Australian Economy in 1989 →
198824.5%24.0% – 25.4% The Australian Economy in 1988 →
198726.4%25.7% – 27.1%October 1987 sharemarket crash
198627.9%27.7% – 28.4% The Australian Economy in 1986 →
198527.3%26.9% – 27.8% The Australian Economy in 1985 →
198426.5%26.0% – 27.4% The Australian Economy in 1984 →
198326.8%26.5% – 27.0%Float of the Australian Dollar & Prices and Incomes Accord
198225.6%24.8% – 26.3%Early 1980s recession & drought
198124.9%24.4% – 25.4% The Australian Economy in 1981 →
198024.8%24.3% – 25.4% The Australian Economy in 1980 →
197924.2%24.1% – 24.3% The Australian Economy in 1979 →
197825.2%24.8% – 25.8% The Australian Economy in 1978 →
197725.3%25.0% – 25.6% The Australian Economy in 1977 →
197625.2%24.9% – 25.5% The Australian Economy in 1976 →
197526.0%25.4% – 26.5% The Australian Economy in 1975 →
197422.7%21.3% – 24.5%1974 wage explosion & stagflation peak
197321.3%20.5% – 21.8%First OPEC oil shock
197222.2%21.8% – 22.5% The Australian Economy in 1972 →
197121.8%21.2% – 22.2% The Australian Economy in 1971 →
197021.3%20.7% – 21.7% The Australian Economy in 1970 →
196921.4%20.9% – 21.6% The Australian Economy in 1969 →
196822.4%21.3% – 23.7% The Australian Economy in 1968 →
196722.1%21.5% – 22.6% The Australian Economy in 1967 →
196621.9%21.6% – 22.2%Decimal currency transition (£ to AUD)
196521.4%20.5% – 22.1% The Australian Economy in 1965 →
196420.0%19.6% – 20.2% The Australian Economy in 1964 →
196319.3%18.6% – 20.3% The Australian Economy in 1963 →
196219.3%19.0% – 19.9% The Australian Economy in 1962 →
196120.1%18.6% – 21.6%Menzies credit squeeze
196017.8%17.0% – 18.4% The Australian Economy in 1960 →
195918.4%18.3% – 18.5% The Australian Economy in 1959 →

Related Australian Economic Statistics

Real Public Final Demand GrowthGovernment & Public Finance · 1991–2026
2.1%2026 Q2
Total Taxation Revenue (% of GDP)Government & Public Finance · 1959–2026
28.9%2026 Q2
Social Assistance Benefits to HouseholdsGovernment & Public Finance · 1959–2026
$44,916m2026 Q2
Australian Real GDP Growth RateEconomic Growth · 1950–2026
2.1%2026 Q2
 Compare Public Share of GDP against another indicator →

Source Information & Methodology

Primary Institution:
Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
Dataset / Publication:
Demand and Income - Public Final Demand Share of Nominal GDP
Series / Table ID:
RBA Statistical Table H2 (GGDPECCVPDS)
Release Frequency:
Quarterly
Licence:
CC BY 4.0 International / RBA Terms

• Primary source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - Demand and Income - Public Final Demand Share of Nominal GDP (RBA Statistical Table H2).

• Observation frequency: Quarterly. Annual table values represent calendar year averages.

• Series coverage spans 1959 to 2026 (68 annual observations).

APA Citation:Reserve Bank of Australia & Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2026). Demand and Income - Public Final Demand Share of Nominal GDP (H2: GGDPECCVPDS). Retrieved October 2026 from https://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/tables/

Frequently Asked Questions: Public Final Demand Share of GDP

What is the current Public Final Demand Share of GDP?
As of 2026 Q2, the latest recorded Public Final Demand Share of GDP is 28.8 (% of GDP), compared with 28.5 in 2026 Q1.
What is the highest and lowest Public Final Demand Share of GDP ever recorded in Australia?
Across the historical series (1959–2026), the highest observation was 29.0 (% of GDP) in 2020 Q2, while the lowest was 17.0 (% of GDP) in 1960 Q3. The long-run historical average is 24.0.
Where is the official Public Final Demand Share of GDP data sourced from?
This series is compiled from Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (Demand and Income - Public Final Demand Share of Nominal GDP, Series ID: GGDPECCVPDS) and is updated on a quarterly basis under CC BY 4.0 International / RBA Terms.