Government expenditure on education, total in Sweden
Sweden: Government expenditure on education, total was 7.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in Sweden, 1979–2022
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 7.3% for government expenditure on education, total in 2022.
That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Sweden peaked at 8.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.2%, in 1990.
Sweden ranks 13th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 6.4% | — |
| 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% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- 10 Vanuatu 7.6% compare
- 11 Mauritania 7.6% compare
- 12 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 7.5% compare
- 14 Iceland 7.3% compare
- 15 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 6.9% compare
- 16 Kyrgyzstan 6.8% compare
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 expenditure on education, total in Sweden?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Sweden was 7.3% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 8.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.2% in 1990.
- How does Sweden rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Sweden ranks 13th out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on education, total 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 Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.