Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Sweden
Sweden: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 7.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Sweden, 1960–2022
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 Sweden is 7.3%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Sweden peaked at 8.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.1%, in 1960.
That places Sweden 13th out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.1% | — |
| 1979 | 6.4% | +25.1% |
| 1980 | 6.5% | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 6.8% | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 5.2% | -23.1% |
| 1991 | 5.5% | +4.4% |
| 1992 | 5.3% | -3.4% |
| 1993 | 5.5% | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 6.2% | +11.6% |
| 1996 | 6.8% | +11.0% |
| 1998 | 7.1% | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 6.8% | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 6.7% | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 6.6% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 6.9% | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 6.8% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 6.7% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 6.4% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 6.2% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 6.8% | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 6.6% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 6.4% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 7.6% | +18.2% |
| 2013 | 7.6% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 7.6% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 7.5% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 7.6% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 7.6% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 7.7% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 7.7% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 8.0% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 7.6% | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 7.3% | -3.7% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 7.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.7× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 7.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.5%, 1.6× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.1% | 5.1% | 5.1% | 1 |
| 1970s | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 1 |
| 1980s | 6.7% | 6.5% | 6.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 6.0% | 5.2% | 7.1% | 8 |
| 2000s | 6.6% | 6.2% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 6.4% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.6% | 7.3% | 8.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More education data for Sweden
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 77,813 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,302 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 235,975 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 222,360 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 987,895 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 859,847 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8572 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0814 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Sweden?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Sweden was 7.3% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 8.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.1% in 1960.
- How does Sweden rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Sweden ranks 13th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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.