2013 07: Amount Spent on Infrastructure, 1992-2011

China invests 8.5% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on infrastructure. This amount almost doubles the combined infrastructure investment of the European Union (2.6% GDP) and the United States (2.6% GDP). In fact, it far exceeds what any other country or region spends; China’s infrastructure spending is twice the level of India, and more than four times that of Latin America. In the United States, the largest share of infrastructure spending is towards roads, followed by transit and water. According to the Congressional Budget Office, between 2003 and 2007, public spending on transportation and water infrastructure declined by $23 billion, or 6 percent. That decline, which reflects a decrease in real capital spending, especially by the federal government, stands in contrast to the fairly steady increase in spending for such infrastructure during the previous two decades. In particular, real capital spending on highways, mass transit, and aviation fell markedly even as capital spending on other types of infrastructure - such as rail and water transportation, water resources, and water supply and wastewater treatment - remained stable or rose.