Education spending, percent of GDP - Country rankings
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
Public spending on education, percent of GDP, 2021:
The average for 2021 based on 27 countries was 5.01 percent. The highest value was in Sweden: 7.57 percent and the lowest value was in Ireland: 3.01 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.Measure: percent; Source: UNESCO
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
| Countries | Education spending, percent of GDP, 2021 | Global rank | Available data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 7.57 | 1 | 1979 - 2021 |
| Denmark | 7 | 2 | 1970 - 2022 |
| Finland | 6.54 | 3 | 1970 - 2021 |
| Belgium | 6.36 | 4 | 1975 - 2021 |
| Netherlands | 5.51 | 5 | 1970 - 2022 |
| Austria | 5.49 | 6 | 1970 - 2022 |
| Germany | 5.45 | 7 | 1993 - 2022 |
| France | 5.43 | 8 | 1970 - 2021 |
| Slovenia | 5.37 | 9 | 1991 - 2021 |
| Malta | 5.36 | 10 | 1971 - 2021 |
| Estonia | 5.26 | 11 | 1992 - 2021 |
| Cyprus | 5.24 | 12 | 1975 - 2021 |
| Spain | 4.87 | 13 | 1970 - 2022 |
| Czechia | 4.8 | 14 | 1992 - 2021 |
| Slovakia | 4.8 | 15 | 1992 - 2021 |
| Portugal | 4.78 | 16 | 1973 - 2021 |
| Bulgaria | 4.73 | 17 | 1980 - 2021 |
| Hungary | 4.68 | 18 | 1970 - 2021 |
| Poland | 4.67 | 19 | 1991 - 2021 |
| Latvia | 4.62 | 20 | 1990 - 2021 |
| Lithuania | 4.25 | 21 | 1993 - 2021 |
| Italy | 4.22 | 22 | 1970 - 2021 |
| Greece | 4.08 | 23 | 1970 - 2021 |
| Croatia | 4.06 | 24 | 2000 - 2021 |
| Luxembourg | 3.72 | 25 | 1970 - 2022 |
| Romania | 3.32 | 26 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Ireland | 3.01 | 27 | 1971 - 2021 |
Definition: General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.
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7.57
7.00
6.54
6.36
5.51
5.49
5.45
5.43
5.37
5.36
5.26
5.24
4.87
4.80
4.80
4.78
4.73
4.68
4.67
4.62
4.25
4.22
4.08
4.06
3.72
3.32
3.01
0
1.9
3.8
5.7
7.57
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