Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Netherlands
Netherlands: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 5.2% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Netherlands, 1937–2022
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 Netherlands is 5.2%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Netherlands peaked at 6.4% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 1937.
Netherlands ranks 58th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | 1.5% | — |
| 1960 | 4.9% | +226.7% |
| 1970 | 6.2% | +26.8% |
| 1971 | 6.3% | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 6.3% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 5.8% | -7.5% |
| 1974 | 6.3% | +8.4% |
| 1975 | 6.4% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 6.3% | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 6.2% | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 6.2% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 6.1% | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 5.9% | -3.2% |
| 1981 | 5.7% | -2.4% |
| 1982 | 5.7% | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 5.5% | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 5.1% | -7.5% |
| 1985 | 5.5% | +7.5% |
| 1986 | 5.6% | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 5.9% | +6.0% |
| 1988 | 5.5% | -7.2% |
| 1990 | 5.2% | -4.4% |
| 1991 | 5.2% | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 4.7% | -7.8% |
| 1994 | 4.7% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 4.6% | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 4.5% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 4.5% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 4.5% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 4.6% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 4.7% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 4.8% | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 5.0% | +4.8% |
| 2004 | 5.0% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 5.1% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 5.0% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 4.9% | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 5.0% | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 5.4% | +7.8% |
| 2010 | 5.5% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 5.4% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 5.4% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 5.5% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 5.4% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 5.3% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 5.4% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 5.1% | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 5.3% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 5.1% | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 5.3% | +4.7% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 5.2% | -3.7% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 5.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.2× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 5.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.5%, 1.2× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Netherlands changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | +226.7% | 1.5% | 4.9% |
| 1970 | +26.8% | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1 |
| 1960s | 4.9% | 4.9% | 4.9% | 1 |
| 1970s | 6.2% | 5.8% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.6% | 5.1% | 5.9% | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.7% | 4.5% | 5.2% | 8 |
| 2000s | 4.9% | 4.6% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.3% | 5.1% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.3% | 5.2% | 5.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More education data for Netherlands
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 118,472 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 23,856 (1985)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 247,743 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 240,049 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.14 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.064 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Netherlands?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Netherlands 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 6.4% in 1975.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 1937.
- How does Netherlands rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Netherlands ranks 58th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.
Download this data
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.