Monitoring progress towards climate objectives and mobilising adequate finance require better tracking and measurement of public climate expenditure, investment, and revenues across all levels of government.
Tracking subnational government climate expenditure
Supporting subnational government climate actions requires having a comprehensive understanding of their financial role in the carbon neutral transition. However, despite the key role of subnational governments in climate action, the true scale of their financial role remains poorly understood, and significant data gaps related to methodological difficulties exist. Subnational climate-expenditure tracking is essential for assessing the financial role of subnational governments in the transition in light of global, national and subnational climate objectives.
About
Our mission
The OECD developed a pilot methodology to identify, measure and comparing subnational government climate-significant expenditure and investment across OECD and EU countries, drawing on National Accounts data.
How it works
The Subnational Government Climate Finance Database was launched in 2022 and last updated in December 2025. It covers 33 OECD and EU countries, with data spanning from 2001 to 2023.
60%
share of climate-significant expenditure undertaken by subnational governments
In 2023, subnational governments accounted for, on average, 60% of climate-significant expenditure across 33 OECD and EU countries, representing 1.4% of GDP.
68%
share of climate-significant investment undertaken by subnational governments
In 2023, subnational governments represented, on average, 68% of climate-significant investment in 32 OECD and EU countries, accounting for 0.4% of GDP.
+2.5%
average annual growth rate, 2010-2023
Between 2010 and 2023, subnational governments’ climate-significant investments increased by an average of 2.5% annually (vs 2.3% for expenditure), with wide disparities across countries.
Subnational Government Climate Finance Database
The database includes data on subnational government climate-significant expenditure and investment for 33 OECD and EU countries, from 2001 to 2023. Data was collected using a standardised methodology, initially developed by the OECD in 2018, with the support of the European Commission, and updated successively in 2022 and 2025.
Latest events
Get in touch
For more information about the project and upcoming events, please contact Isabelle Chatry (isabelle.chatry@oecd.org)