Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Estonia
Estonia: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 5.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Estonia, 1992–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education as a share of gdp in Estonia is 5.2%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Estonia peaked at 6.7% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 2014.
That places Estonia 57th out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Estonia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 5.3% | — |
| 1993 | 5.7% | +7.9% |
| 1994 | 5.5% | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 5.9% | +7.4% |
| 1996 | 6.1% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 6.3% | +4.7% |
| 1998 | 6.2% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 6.7% | +6.7% |
| 2000 | 5.3% | -19.7% |
| 2001 | 5.2% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 5.4% | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 5.3% | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 4.9% | -7.5% |
| 2005 | 4.8% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 4.6% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 5.5% | +18.7% |
| 2009 | 6.0% | +8.7% |
| 2010 | 5.5% | -7.4% |
| 2011 | 5.0% | -9.5% |
| 2012 | 4.7% | -6.4% |
| 2013 | 4.8% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 4.3% | -9.5% |
| 2015 | 5.1% | +16.8% |
| 2016 | 5.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 4.9% | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 5.1% | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 5.2% | -4.2% |
| 2022 | 5.2% | -0.1% |
Estonia compared with similar countries
- Estonia's 5.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.2× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Estonia's 5.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.5%, 1.2× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.0% | 5.3% | 6.7% | 8 |
| 2000s | 5.2% | 4.6% | 6.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 4.3% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.3% | 5.2% | 5.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
More education data for Estonia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 9,391 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 706 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 27,252 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 25,046 (2012)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 103,245 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 89,246 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.065 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Estonia?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Estonia was 5.2% 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 Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.7% in 1999.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 2014.
- How does Estonia rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Estonia ranks 57th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Estonia 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.