Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Netherlands
Netherlands: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.6% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Netherlands, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Netherlands stood at 1.6%.
That represents a change of down 6.7% on the previous year and down 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Netherlands peaked at 1.9% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 1998.
That places Netherlands 15th out of 173 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.6% | — |
| 1971 | 1.6% | +4.7% |
| 1972 | 1.8% | +9.1% |
| 1973 | 1.6% | -10.6% |
| 1974 | 1.7% | +7.2% |
| 1975 | 1.8% | +6.5% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 1.9% | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | -2.9% |
| 1981 | 1.7% | -4.1% |
| 1982 | 1.7% | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 1.7% | -1.7% |
| 1984 | 1.5% | -6.8% |
| 1985 | 1.6% | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 1.5% | -2.7% |
| 1987 | 1.9% | +22.2% |
| 1988 | 1.6% | -12.4% |
| 1990 | 1.7% | +5.2% |
| 1991 | 1.7% | -3.2% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | -11.8% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | -2.8% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | -4.4% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -4.5% |
| 1998 | 1.3% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | +21.4% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | +8.2% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | -9.3% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | -6.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 7 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 12 Senegal 1.6% compare
- 13 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.6% compare
- 14 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 1.6% compare
- 16 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 1.6% compare
- 17 Belgium 1.5% compare
- 18 Saudi Arabia 1.5% compare
More education data for Netherlands
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 118,472 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 23,856 (1985)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 247,743 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 240,049 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.14 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.064 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Netherlands?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Netherlands was 1.6% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 1987.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 1998.
- How does Netherlands rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Netherlands ranks 15th out of 173 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands 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