per OECD and WB data, each of these countries' public social expenditures as a % of GDP is <= that in the US, but all have achieved levels of absolute and relative poverty comparable to the nordic states'. that got me wondering: how do their spending priorities diverge from ours?

for starters, all but the czech republic spend less as a % of GDP on public pensions than the US does. despite this, all enjoy significantly *lower* rates of poverty among aged adults; the only one that comes close is switzerland, which actually spends more than most of the list.

vitally, all the selected countries spend a *lot* more as a % of GDP on children and families than the US. all but one spend at least 1% of their GDP on child and family cash benefits; the US, conversely, spends only 0.06%. this is starkly reflected in child poverty rates.

the US also spends less as a % of GDP on sickness, injury, and disability benefits than every other country on the list, though recent levels of spending in ireland and the czech republic are relatively close. across countries, most of this spending is distributed as cash aid.