Expenditure on tertiary education in Switzerland
Switzerland: Expenditure on tertiary education was 26.0% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on tertiary education in Switzerland, 1970–2016
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure on education.
Analysis
Switzerland recorded 26.0% for expenditure on tertiary education in 2016.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on tertiary education in Switzerland peaked at 27.9% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 16.8%, in 1976.
Switzerland ranks 36th of 160 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Expenditure on tertiary education in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure on education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 17.6% | — |
| 1971 | 18.9% | +7.8% |
| 1972 | 18.6% | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 18.9% | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 17.6% | -7.0% |
| 1975 | 17.6% | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 16.8% | -4.7% |
| 1977 | 17.6% | +4.9% |
| 1978 | 17.3% | -1.6% |
| 1979 | 18.5% | +6.9% |
| 1980 | 19.9% | +7.1% |
| 1981 | 20.1% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 19.7% | -2.2% |
| 1983 | 20.0% | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 19.7% | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 19.1% | -2.8% |
| 1986 | 19.8% | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 20.3% | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 20.4% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 20.8% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 20.9% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 21.2% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 20.7% | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 20.5% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 19.9% | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 19.7% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 20.3% | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 22.3% | +9.7% |
| 2000 | 22.3% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 23.1% | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 24.2% | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 27.1% | +11.8% |
| 2004 | 27.9% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 26.0% | -7.1% |
| 2006 | 26.6% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 25.5% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 24.0% | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 25.1% | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 25.3% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 26.0% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 26.3% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 26.1% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 26.4% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 26.3% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 26.0% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.0% | 16.8% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.0% | 19.1% | 20.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.7% | 19.7% | 22.3% | 8 |
| 2000s | 25.2% | 22.3% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.1% | 25.3% | 26.4% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More education data for Switzerland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 68,266 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 5,583 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 94,990 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 89,549 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 636,381 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 556,945 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0618 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on tertiary education in Switzerland?
- Expenditure on tertiary education in Switzerland was 26.0% in 2016, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest expenditure on tertiary education recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 27.9% in 2004.
- What is the lowest expenditure on tertiary education recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.8% in 1976.
- How does Switzerland rank for expenditure on tertiary education?
- Switzerland ranks 36th out of 160 countries with data for 2016.
- Is expenditure on tertiary education rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Expenditure on tertiary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.