Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Norway
Norway: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.3% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Norway, 1972–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Norway recorded 1.3% for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 46 years on record.
That represents a change of down 22.0% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Norway peaked at 3.0% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2022.
That places Norway 83rd out of 162 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Norway, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 3.0% | — |
| 1973 | 2.9% | -5.1% |
| 1974 | 2.8% | -3.3% |
| 1975 | 2.9% | +3.9% |
| 1976 | 3.0% | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 2.9% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 3.0% | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 2.7% | -9.3% |
| 1981 | 2.6% | -3.5% |
| 1982 | 2.7% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 2.6% | -2.4% |
| 1984 | 2.5% | -6.2% |
| 1985 | 2.4% | -3.9% |
| 1986 | 2.5% | +5.1% |
| 1987 | 2.6% | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 2.7% | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 2.4% | -9.1% |
| 1991 | 2.4% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 2.4% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 2.5% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 2.4% | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 2.3% | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | +23.0% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | -32.0% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | -6.8% |
| 2006 | 1.6% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | +16.9% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | -7.0% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | +8.0% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 1.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 2.0% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | -16.8% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -22.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 7 |
| 1980s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 1.9% | 2.8% | 8 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 8 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 2.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More education data for Norway
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 59,473 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (1993)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 85,282 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 80,636 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 469,508 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 434,422 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.7841 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.078 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Norway?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Norway was 1.3% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 3.0% in 1972.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2022.
- How does Norway rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Norway ranks 83rd out of 162 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Norway data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on primary 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