Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Spain
Spain: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 4.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Spain, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Spain stood at 4.6%.
The figure is down 4.7% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Spain peaked at 4.9% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 1974.
That places Spain 77th out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.8% | — |
| 1971 | 1.9% | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 2.1% | +9.3% |
| 1974 | 1.5% | -29.3% |
| 1976 | 1.9% | +30.1% |
| 1977 | 2.1% | +9.4% |
| 1978 | 2.2% | +7.4% |
| 1979 | 2.3% | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 3.1% | +33.8% |
| 1988 | 3.3% | +6.4% |
| 1989 | 3.6% | +6.7% |
| 1990 | 3.6% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 3.7% | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 3.8% | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 4.2% | +10.6% |
| 1994 | 4.5% | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 4.4% | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 4.5% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 4.3% | -3.8% |
| 1999 | 4.3% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 4.2% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 4.1% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 4.1% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 4.2% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 4.2% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 4.2% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 4.2% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 4.5% | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 4.9% | +8.4% |
| 2010 | 4.8% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 4.7% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 4.5% | -5.5% |
| 2013 | 4.3% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 4.3% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 4.2% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 4.2% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 4.2% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 4.2% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 4.9% | +15.4% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 4.6% | -4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.0% | 1.5% | 2.3% | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.6% | 3 |
| 1990s | 4.2% | 3.6% | 4.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.3% | 4.1% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.4% | 4.2% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.7% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More education data for Spain
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 344,203 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 37,817 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 570,954 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 538,977 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.71 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.83 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.058 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Spain?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Spain was 4.6% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 4.9% in 2009.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 1974.
- How does Spain rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Spain ranks 77th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release