After the initial high outlays on the Federal armed forces the
share of defense expenditure fell significantly. Since 1953
expenditures on social security (excluding outlays of social
security agencies) and housing have been falling relative to other
outlays, because government expenditure on these items in the
years immediately after the Second World War had been
particularly high.8 While the share of outlays on public security
has risen only slowly that on research and education (especially
higher education) more than doubled in the period 1950 to 1985
owing to an educational policy which aimed at substantially
increasing undergraduate figures. Between 1965 and 1975 student
numbers in higher education grew by about 10 per cent per annum.
Owing to demographic pressures—the structure of the FederalGerman population has been steadily ageing—and costly health
policy outlays have risen.