Sweden vs United Kingdom: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP
Sweden
1.8%
in 2022
United Kingdom
1.9%
in 2021
Sweden rank
35th
United Kingdom rank
33rd
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP over time
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 1.9% against 1.8% in Sweden, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 30 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Sweden ahead.
Sweden ranks 35th and United Kingdom ranks 33rd of 162 countries.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sweden | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.8% | 1.4% | 1.4% | Sweden |
| 1990s | 2.2% | 1.2% | 1.1% | Sweden |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.3% | 0.4% | Sweden |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 0.1% | Sweden |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 0.1% | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp, Sweden or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 1.9% against 1.8% in Sweden as of 2021.
- What is the difference in government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp between Sweden and United Kingdom?
- 0.1%, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sweden and United Kingdom?
- 30 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2021.
- How do Sweden and United Kingdom rank globally for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Sweden ranks 35th and United Kingdom ranks 33rd of 162 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release