Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Cyprus
Cyprus: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 4.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Cyprus, 1975–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Cyprus recorded 4.7% for government spending on education as a share of gdp in 2022.
The figure is down 6.7% on the previous year and down 27.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Cyprus peaked at 7.2% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 1978.
Cyprus ranks 72nd of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Cyprus, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 4.3% | — |
| 1976 | 3.8% | -11.9% |
| 1977 | 3.4% | -11.4% |
| 1978 | 3.3% | -2.2% |
| 1979 | 3.4% | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 3.4% | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 3.8% | +10.7% |
| 1982 | 3.7% | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 3.6% | -3.5% |
| 1985 | 3.6% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 3.5% | -2.7% |
| 1987 | 3.4% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 3.4% | -2.1% |
| 1989 | 3.4% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3.3% | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 3.6% | +7.1% |
| 1992 | 3.8% | +5.7% |
| 1993 | 4.1% | +8.3% |
| 1994 | 4.2% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 3.7% | -10.1% |
| 1999 | 4.8% | +27.6% |
| 2000 | 5.0% | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 5.1% | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 5.6% | +9.1% |
| 2003 | 6.7% | +19.5% |
| 2004 | 6.1% | -8.3% |
| 2005 | 6.3% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 6.3% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 6.3% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 6.7% | +7.0% |
| 2009 | 7.2% | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 6.5% | -9.4% |
| 2011 | 6.5% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 6.5% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 6.4% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 6.3% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 6.1% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 5.7% | -6.8% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | -9.4% |
| 2020 | 5.6% | +7.8% |
| 2021 | 5.1% | -8.7% |
| 2022 | 4.7% | -6.7% |
Cyprus compared with similar countries
- Cyprus's 4.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.1× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Cyprus's 4.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.5%, 1.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.6% | 3.3% | 4.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.8% | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.9% | 3.3% | 4.8% | 7 |
| 2000s | 6.1% | 5.0% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 5.2% | 6.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 5.1% | 4.7% | 5.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Cyprus
More education data for Cyprus
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 8,083 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 137 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 14,059 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 13,211 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 61,230 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 60,596 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.28 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0446 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Cyprus?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Cyprus was 4.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Cyprus?
- The highest recorded value was 7.2% in 2009.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Cyprus?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 1978.
- How does Cyprus rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Cyprus ranks 72nd out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Cyprus?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cyprus data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.