Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Spain
Spain: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.1% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Spain, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Spain is 1.1%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Spain peaked at 1.1% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1974.
That places Spain 45th out of 173 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.4% | — |
| 1971 | 0.4% | +6.0% |
| 1972 | 0.3% | -11.0% |
| 1974 | 0.2% | -33.9% |
| 1976 | 0.3% | +40.2% |
| 1977 | 0.3% | +7.8% |
| 1978 | 0.3% | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 0.3% | -4.4% |
| 1987 | 0.5% | +45.7% |
| 1988 | 0.5% | +9.6% |
| 1989 | 0.6% | +13.0% |
| 1990 | 0.7% | +17.3% |
| 1991 | 0.7% | +6.4% |
| 1992 | 0.7% | +4.3% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | +10.3% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | -4.1% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | +6.1% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +7.4% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | -8.5% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | +14.4% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 1.1% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 8 |
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 3 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More education data for Spain
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 344,203 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 37,817 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 570,954 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 538,977 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.71 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.83 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.058 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Spain?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Spain was 1.1% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 1.1% in 2010.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1974.
- How does Spain rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Spain ranks 45th out of 173 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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 — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release