Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Sweden
Sweden: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.8% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Sweden, 1979–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 1.8% for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in 2022.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and up 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Sweden peaked at 3.3% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2007.
That places Sweden 35th out of 162 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 2.7% | — |
| 1980 | 2.4% | -12.6% |
| 1981 | 3.3% | +38.8% |
| 1990 | 2.7% | -18.0% |
| 1991 | 3.0% | +10.7% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | -6.9% |
| 1993 | 2.7% | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 1.6% | -40.1% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | +13.7% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 1.8% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 1.9% | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 1.8% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | +7.0% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | -4.8% |
| 2006 | 1.6% | -7.2% |
| 2007 | 1.5% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 2.0% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | -5.6% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | -1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 1 |
| 1980s | 2.8% | 2.4% | 3.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.6% | 3.0% | 8 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 3 |
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 government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Sweden?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Sweden was 1.8% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1981.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2007.
- How does Sweden rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Sweden ranks 35th out of 162 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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