Iceland vs Sweden: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP
Iceland
7.3%
in 2022
Sweden
7.3%
in 2022
Iceland rank
11th
Sweden rank
10th
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP over time
- Iceland
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 7.3% against 7.3% in Iceland, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Sweden ahead.
Iceland ranks 11th and Sweden ranks 10th of 185 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 3 and Sweden in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.4% | 6.3% | 0.8% | Sweden |
| 2000s | 7.1% | 6.6% | 0.5% | Iceland |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 7.4% | 0.1% | Iceland |
| 2020s | 8.0% | 7.6% | 0.4% | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp, Iceland or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 7.3% against 7.3% in Iceland as of 2022.
- What is the difference in initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp between Iceland and Sweden?
- 0.0%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Sweden?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2022.
- How do Iceland and Sweden rank globally for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Iceland ranks 11th and Sweden ranks 10th of 185 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Initial government expenditure on 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