Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Sweden
Sweden: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Sweden, 1979–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Sweden stood at 1.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.6% on the previous year and down 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Sweden peaked at 2.0% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1981.
Sweden ranks 9th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.8% | — |
| 1980 | 0.7% | -14.3% |
| 1981 | 0.7% | -5.3% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | +66.3% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | -4.2% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | +5.5% |
| 1993 | 1.4% | +22.0% |
| 1995 | 1.6% | +17.7% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | +13.1% |
| 1998 | 1.8% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 1.9% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 2.0% | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 1.9% | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 1.8% | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | +10.6% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 1.9% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 1.8% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 1.9% | +5.8% |
| 2021 | 1.8% | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | -5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 1.9% | 8 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 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 tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Sweden?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Sweden was 1.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 2003.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1981.
- How does Sweden rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Sweden ranks 9th out of 173 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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