Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Poland
Poland: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 4.3% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Poland, 1991–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Poland stood at 4.3%.
That represents a change of down 6.6% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Poland peaked at 6.2% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 1991.
Poland ranks 92nd of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Poland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.9% | — |
| 1992 | 4.2% | +7.6% |
| 1993 | 4.2% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 4.3% | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 6.2% | +44.5% |
| 1998 | 4.9% | -21.0% |
| 1999 | 4.6% | -7.1% |
| 2000 | 5.0% | +8.5% |
| 2001 | 5.3% | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 5.4% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 5.3% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 5.3% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 5.4% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 5.2% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 4.9% | -6.3% |
| 2008 | 5.0% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 5.0% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 5.1% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 4.8% | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 4.8% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 5.0% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 4.9% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 4.8% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 4.6% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 4.5% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 4.6% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 4.8% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 4.6% | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 4.3% | -6.6% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 4.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 98% of the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Poland's 4.3% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.5%, 96% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Poland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +44.5% | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.6% | 3.9% | 6.2% | 7 |
| 2000s | 5.2% | 4.9% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.8% | 4.5% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.6% | 4.3% | 4.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Poland
- 89 Cape Verde 4.3% compare
- 90 Afghanistan 4.3% compare
- 91 Latvia 4.3% compare
- 93 Czechia 4.3% compare
- 94 Turkmenistan 4.3% compare
- 95 Puerto Rico 4.3% compare
More education data for Poland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 322,900 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,398 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 776,213 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 735,804 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.33 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.60 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0438 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Poland?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Poland was 4.3% 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 Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.2% in 1996.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 1991.
- How does Poland rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Poland ranks 92nd out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Poland 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.