Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Sweden
Sweden: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 13.5% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Sweden, 2000–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 13.5% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Sweden peaked at 14.1% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 12.1%, in 2000.
Sweden ranks 46th of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Sweden, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 12.1% | — |
| 2001 | 12.8% | +6.1% |
| 2002 | 12.8% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 12.6% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 12.6% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 12.7% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 12.8% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 12.7% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 12.8% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 12.8% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 12.7% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 12.7% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 12.6% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 12.5% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 12.8% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 13.0% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 13.3% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 13.6% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 13.8% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 14.1% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 13.4% | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 13.5% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.7% | 12.1% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.1% | 12.5% | 14.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.5% | 13.4% | 13.5% | 2 |
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 expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Sweden?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Sweden was 13.5% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 14.1% in 2019.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.1% in 2000.
- How does Sweden rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Sweden ranks 46th out of 123 countries with data for 2021.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. 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, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (IMF calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release