Total Entitlement Spending Since 1930

In 1900 there was no entitlement spending, except a small amount of health care spending. But the Great Depression ended that, with welfare spending to ease unemployment peaking at 2 percent GDP in 1939.

After World War II pension spending -- mostly Social Security -- surged, reaching 2.6 percent of GDP in 1961 and then up to 5.82 percent of GDP in 1982. During the 1980s, 1990s, and 2010s pension spending grew slowly, but jumped to 6.5 percent of GDP in the recession year of 2009.

Starting with the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 health care spending has ballooned from 1 percent of GDP in 1960 to 8.2 percent of GDP in the late 2010s.

After World War II welfare spending grew from war-time lows, eventually fluctuating between 2 percent GDP in good times and 3 to 4 percent in the aftermath of recessions.

As a share of government spending, entitlement spending has come to amount to about half of total government spending.

Before 1930 there were no appreciable entitlement programs. But in the Great Depression welfare ranged between 1 and 2 percent of GDP, while health care spending came in at under 1 percent GDP.

After World War II pensions and health care spending steadily increased as a share of government spending. In the 2010s, with total spending at 35 percent GDP, pensions and health care spending amounted to nearly half of government spending, at about 15 percent GDP.