Procurement Statistics
Last updated: 2026-10-28 · 10 sourced statistics
Government purchasing is one of the largest markets a business can sell into. Across OECD countries, public procurement was worth 12.7% of GDP and 29.9% of total government spending in 2023, and the European Commission puts it at about 15% of EU GDP. In the United States, federal agencies committed about $793 billion on contracts in fiscal year 2025, and nearly 28% of prime contract dollars went to small businesses, above the 23% statutory goal. The figures below come from the OECD's Government at a Glance 2025, the European Commission's Single Market Scoreboard, the US Government Accountability Office and the US Small Business Administration, each linked to the page that states it.
Key takeaways
- Public procurement averaged 12.7% of GDP across the OECD and 14.8% across OECD-EU countries in 2023.
- Most of it is local: 62.5% of OECD procurement spending was at sub-national government level in 2023.
- Health is the biggest category, at 29.7% of OECD procurement spending, followed by economic affairs at 16.7%.
- US federal contract obligations were about $793 billion in FY2025, up $17.8 billion on FY2024 after inflation.
- Small businesses won nearly 28% of US federal prime contract dollars in FY2025, about $179 billion, against a 23% goal.
At a glance.
Every figure on this page in one table, each linked to its named source. Scroll down for the full context behind each number.
| Figure | What it measures | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.7% | Public procurement expenditure was 12.7% of GDP across the OECD in 2023, up from 12.2% in 2019 and down slightly from 13% in 2021. | OECD, Government at a Glance 2025: Size of public procurement | 2025 |
| 14.8% | Across OECD-EU countries, public procurement expenditure was 14.8% of GDP in 2023, compared with 13.9% in 2019 and 15% in 2021. | OECD, Government at a Glance 2025: Size of public procurement | 2025 |
| 29.9% | Public procurement accounted for 29.9% of total government expenditure across the OECD in 2023, up 1.6 percentage points from 28.3% in 2021. | OECD, Government at a Glance 2025: Size of public procurement | 2025 |
| 62.5% | 62.5% of OECD countries' public procurement spending was at sub-national levels of government in 2023, compared with 61.3% in 2021. | OECD, Government at a Glance 2025: Size of public procurement | 2025 |
| 29.7% | Health accounted for the largest share of public procurement spending, 29.7% on average across OECD countries in 2023, followed by economic affairs (16.7%), education (11.4%), social protection (10.1%) and defence (9.9%). | OECD, Government at a Glance 2025: Size of public procurement | 2025 |
| ~15% | Public procurement accounts for about 15% of EU GDP, according to the European Commission's Single Market Scoreboard (reporting period January to December 2024). | European Commission, Single Market and Competitiveness Scoreboard: Access to public procurement | 2024 |
| $793B | The US federal government committed about $793 billion on contracts in fiscal year 2025, a $17.8 billion increase from FY2024 after adjusting for inflation. | US Government Accountability Office, A Snapshot: Government-Wide Contracting, FY 2025 (5 May 2026) | 2026 |
| ~28% | Federal agencies awarded nearly 28% of prime contract dollars, about $179 billion, to small businesses in FY2025, above the statutory goal of 23%. | US Small Business Administration, FY25 Small Business Procurement Scorecard (25 June 2026) | 2026 |
| $273B | Including subcontracts, small businesses received nearly $273 billion in federal contracts in FY2025, which the SBA estimates supported 793,400 jobs through prime contracts and a further 418,000 through subcontracts. | US Small Business Administration, FY25 Small Business Procurement Scorecard (25 June 2026) | 2026 |
| 11.6% | Small disadvantaged businesses received 11.6% of federal prime contracting dollars ($75.3 billion) in FY2025, down from 12.27% in FY2024; the 8(a) program received 3.7% ($24.3 billion). | US Small Business Administration, FY25 Small Business Procurement Scorecard (25 June 2026) | 2026 |
The statistics
Public procurement expenditure was 12.7% of GDP across the OECD in 2023, up from 12.2% in 2019 and down slightly from 13% in 2021.
Source:OECD, Government at a Glance 2025: Size of public procurement2025
Across OECD-EU countries, public procurement expenditure was 14.8% of GDP in 2023, compared with 13.9% in 2019 and 15% in 2021.
Source:OECD, Government at a Glance 2025: Size of public procurement2025
Public procurement accounted for 29.9% of total government expenditure across the OECD in 2023, up 1.6 percentage points from 28.3% in 2021.
Source:OECD, Government at a Glance 2025: Size of public procurement2025
62.5% of OECD countries' public procurement spending was at sub-national levels of government in 2023, compared with 61.3% in 2021.
Source:OECD, Government at a Glance 2025: Size of public procurement2025
Health accounted for the largest share of public procurement spending, 29.7% on average across OECD countries in 2023, followed by economic affairs (16.7%), education (11.4%), social protection (10.1%) and defence (9.9%).
Source:OECD, Government at a Glance 2025: Size of public procurement2025
Public procurement accounts for about 15% of EU GDP, according to the European Commission's Single Market Scoreboard (reporting period January to December 2024).
Source:European Commission, Single Market and Competitiveness Scoreboard: Access to public procurement2024
The US federal government committed about $793 billion on contracts in fiscal year 2025, a $17.8 billion increase from FY2024 after adjusting for inflation.
Source:US Government Accountability Office, A Snapshot: Government-Wide Contracting, FY 2025 (5 May 2026)2026
Federal agencies awarded nearly 28% of prime contract dollars, about $179 billion, to small businesses in FY2025, above the statutory goal of 23%.
Source:US Small Business Administration, FY25 Small Business Procurement Scorecard (25 June 2026)2026
Including subcontracts, small businesses received nearly $273 billion in federal contracts in FY2025, which the SBA estimates supported 793,400 jobs through prime contracts and a further 418,000 through subcontracts.
Source:US Small Business Administration, FY25 Small Business Procurement Scorecard (25 June 2026)2026
Small disadvantaged businesses received 11.6% of federal prime contracting dollars ($75.3 billion) in FY2025, down from 12.27% in FY2024; the 8(a) program received 3.7% ($24.3 billion).
Source:US Small Business Administration, FY25 Small Business Procurement Scorecard (25 June 2026)2026
When these numbers don't apply
Aggregate statistics hide a lot. Read these caveats before quoting a figure as if it describes your specific situation.
- These are public procurement figures: what governments buy from businesses. Reliable official statistics on private-sector procurement (how companies buy from each other) are not published, and vendor surveys on that topic were not used.
- OECD procurement totals come from national accounts and combine government purchases for its own use, capital investment and goods and services bought from market producers for households. They are averages across member countries and hide wide national differences.
- US figures cover federal contract obligations only. State and local government purchasing is not included, and obligations are commitments to spend, not payments made in the year.
- The SBA small business share counts prime contract dollars against a statutory goal and uses SBA's own eligibility rules; subcontract dollars are reported separately in the combined total.
How we compiled this data
Reviewed on 2026-10-28. We kept only figures we could open on official pages that day: the OECD's Government at a Glance 2025 chapter on the size of public procurement (the live page blocks automated access, so it was read from the Internet Archive copy, capture 20261004191611), the European Commission's Single Market Scoreboard page on public procurement, the GAO's FY2025 contracting snapshot (posted 5 May 2026) and the SBA's FY25 scorecard release (25 June 2026). All earlier figures, which were attributed to Ardent Partners and Deloitte landing pages that do not state them, were removed. This page reports public procurement only and makes no claim about any software product.
We hand-collected each figure from its original publisher rather than recycling secondary round-ups, cross-checked the headline numbers against the source documents in 2026-10-28, and link every statistic to the report it came from so you can verify it yourself. Where a publisher issues annual updates, we cite the report edition and flag the year inline.
Frequently asked questions
How big is public procurement?
Across OECD countries it was 12.7% of GDP and 29.9% of total government spending in 2023. In OECD-EU countries it was 14.8% of GDP, and the European Commission puts it at about 15% of EU GDP.
How much does the US federal government spend on contracts?
The GAO reports that federal agencies committed about $793 billion on contracts in fiscal year 2025, up $17.8 billion from FY2024 after adjusting for inflation.
What share of federal contracts go to small businesses?
Nearly 28% of prime contract dollars, about $179 billion, in FY2025, above the 23% statutory goal. Including subcontracts, small businesses received nearly $273 billion.
What do governments buy most?
Health is the largest category, at 29.7% of OECD procurement spending in 2023, followed by economic affairs (16.7%), education (11.4%), social protection (10.1%) and defence (9.9%).
Put these figures to use
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