Infrastructure Spending by Country 2024

Infrastructure consists of the facilities necessary for an economy and society to function and grow. Infrastructure includes items such as transportation networks, utilities, computer networks, and waste management systems. Research by Oxford Economics and PWC projects that worldwide spending for infrastructure will exceed $9 trillion by 2025.

In most countries, governments pay for most of the infrastructure. Generally, developing countries invest more in infrastructure than developed ones because undeveloped countries have less infrastructure and need it to build their economies. For example, Asia Pacific countries are expected to account for at least 60 percent of all global infrastructure spending by 2025, while European countries drop to about 10 percent from 20 percent just a few years ago. As part of that trend, China invested more in infrastructure than any other country in 2023. China's primary infrastructure investments are for transportation, municipal administration, industrial parks, and social housing. The government also is investing in infrastructure for the agricultural industry, such as irrigation systems.

Other Asia Pacific countries that invest a large percentage of their Gross Domestic Product in infrastructure are Indonesia, Australia, India, Japan, and South Korea. India has the largest number of infrastructure projects under development.

Although Asia Pacific countries are investing large percentages of their GDPs in infrastructure, Canada and the United Kingdom are doing the best job of creating efficient infrastructures that address social and environmental needs, according to Deloitte and Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. The research used a barometer to rate infrastructure investments based on social and environmental returns. On that barometer, Canada scored 70.4; the United Kingdom, 69.6; Germany, 67.7; Sweden, 67.6; and the Netherlands, 66.6; The United States scored 63.7 percent and tied for 10th place with Australia. The average score on the barometer was 55.6.