Canada vs Switzerland: Government spending on education as a share of GDP

Canada
4.8%
in 2022
Switzerland
4.9%
in 2022
Canada rank
70th
Switzerland rank
69th

Government spending on education as a share of GDP over time

  • Canada
  • Switzerland
02468196019912022

How they compare

Switzerland currently reports 4.9% against 4.8% in Canada, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 46 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Canada ahead.

Canada ranks 70th and Switzerland ranks 69th of 199 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 5 and Switzerland in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Canada Switzerland Difference Ahead
1960s 4.6% 3.1% 1.5% Canada
1970s 7.0% 4.1% 2.8% Canada
1980s 6.4% 4.2% 2.1% Canada
1990s 6.4% 4.7% 1.6% Canada
2000s 4.9% 4.9% 0.1% Canada
2010s 4.9% 4.9% 0.0% Switzerland
2020s 4.8% 5.1% 0.2% Switzerland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government spending on education as a share of gdp, Canada or Switzerland?
Switzerland, at 4.9% against 4.8% in Canada as of 2022.
What is the difference in government spending on education as a share of gdp between Canada and Switzerland?
0.1%, with Switzerland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Switzerland?
46 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2022.
How do Canada and Switzerland rank globally for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
Canada ranks 70th and Switzerland ranks 69th of 199 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Government spending on education as a share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,187 data points, 1870–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.