Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Norway
Norway: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
1.5%
Change on year
down 19.6%
World rank
19th
of 173 countries
All-time high
2.3%
in 2004
All-time low
0.7%
in 1974
Years of data
49
1972–2022
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Norway, 1972–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Norway recorded 1.5% for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in 2022.
That represents a change of down 19.6% on the previous year and down 19.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Norway peaked at 2.3% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1974.
That places Norway 19th out of 173 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Norway, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 0.8% | — |
| 1973 | 0.7% | -2.6% |
| 1974 | 0.7% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +8.2% |
| 1976 | 0.8% | +5.8% |
| 1977 | 0.9% | +8.2% |
| 1978 | 0.8% | -15.0% |
| 1980 | 0.8% | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 0.8% | -3.7% |
| 1982 | 0.8% | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 0.8% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | -2.1% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | -2.8% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | +13.0% |
| 1987 | 0.9% | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | +7.1% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +7.1% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | +6.1% |
| 1991 | 1.6% | +50.0% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | +9.7% |
| 1993 | 2.0% | +15.7% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 2.1% | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | -8.9% |
| 1997 | 1.9% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | -13.0% |
| 2001 | 1.8% | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 2.0% | +13.3% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | +10.2% |
| 2004 | 2.3% | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 2.2% | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | -9.4% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | +7.6% |
| 2010 | 2.0% | -7.6% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +10.3% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -10.8% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | +9.5% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 2.3% | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | -17.3% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -19.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 7 |
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 1.1% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 1.9% | 2.2% | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.5% | 2.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 16 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 1.6% compare
- 17 Belgium 1.5% compare
- 18 Saudi Arabia 1.5% compare
- 20 Burkina Faso 1.5% compare
- 21 Tunisia 1.5% compare
- 22 Finland 1.5% compare
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 tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Norway?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Norway was 1.5% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 2.3% in 2004.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1974.
- How does Norway rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Norway ranks 19th out of 173 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release