General government expenditure on recreation, culture and religion in the European Union (EU) was 1.0 % of GDP in 2016, unchanged from 2015. In the euro area, the figure was slightly higher (1.1 %), also unchanged from 2015. Total expenditure in this area includes spending on sports and recreational facilities, libraries, museums, theatres, broadcasting services and facilities for religious and other community services.
In 2016, the Member States with the highest government expenditure on recreation, culture and religion, as a percentage of GDP, were Hungary (3.3 %), Estonia (2.1 %), Croatia and Denmark (both 1.8 %). The Member States with the lowest government expenditure in this area were Ireland (0.5 %), United Kingdom (0.6 %), followed by Greece, Italy and Portugal (all 0.8 %).
The source data set is here.
A background article on government expenditure on recreation, culture and religion is available here.
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