Portugal vs Spain: Government spending on education as a share of GDP

Portugal
4.6%
in 2022
Spain
4.6%
in 2022
Portugal rank
78th
Spain rank
77th

Government spending on education as a share of GDP over time

  • Portugal
  • Spain
0246191319672022

How they compare

Spain currently reports 4.6% against 4.6% in Portugal, a difference of 0.0%.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 38 shared years of data; in 1974 it was Portugal ahead.

Portugal ranks 78th and Spain ranks 77th of 199 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Portugal averaged higher in 5 and Spain in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Portugal Spain Difference Ahead
1970s 2.7% 2.0% 0.7% Portugal
1980s 3.3% 3.2% 0.1% Portugal
1990s 4.5% 4.1% 0.4% Portugal
2000s 5.1% 4.3% 0.9% Portugal
2010s 5.0% 4.4% 0.6% Portugal
2020s 4.7% 4.7% 0.0% Spain

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government spending on education as a share of gdp, Portugal or Spain?
Spain, at 4.6% against 4.6% in Portugal as of 2022.
What is the difference in government spending on education as a share of gdp between Portugal and Spain?
0.0%, with Spain ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and Spain?
38 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2022.
How do Portugal and Spain rank globally for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
Portugal ranks 78th and Spain ranks 77th 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.