Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Denmark
Denmark: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 2.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
2.2%
Change on year
down 8.2%
World rank
7th
of 173 countries
All-time high
2.6%
in 2001
All-time low
0.9%
in 1979
Years of data
43
1970–2022
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Denmark, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Denmark recorded 2.2% for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in 2022.
The figure is down 8.2% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Denmark peaked at 2.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1979.
Denmark ranks 7th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.2% | — |
| 1971 | 1.1% | -7.4% |
| 1972 | 1.2% | +5.5% |
| 1973 | 1.3% | +10.1% |
| 1974 | 1.4% | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 1.5% | +7.2% |
| 1977 | 1.1% | -24.6% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | -6.8% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | -9.8% |
| 1980 | 1.0% | +11.3% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | +32.5% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 1.5% | +11.0% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | -29.3% |
| 1991 | 1.2% | +14.0% |
| 1993 | 2.0% | +69.8% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | -4.2% |
| 1995 | 1.8% | -6.4% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | +13.1% |
| 1999 | 2.3% | +8.5% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 2.6% | +8.6% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | -7.3% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 2.3% | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 2.2% | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 2.3% | +10.4% |
| 2010 | 2.3% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 2.4% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -8.1% |
| 2013 | 2.3% | +4.8% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 2.6% | +11.4% |
| 2017 | 2.4% | -8.4% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 2.4% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 2.4% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 2.4% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | -8.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 5 |
| 1990s | 1.9% | 1.2% | 2.3% | 7 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More education data for Denmark
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 50,935 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2,888 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 94,481 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 88,072 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 522,143 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 432,238 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8558 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0723 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Denmark?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Denmark was 2.2% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 2001.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1979.
- How does Denmark rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Denmark ranks 7th out of 173 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary 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