Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Denmark
Denmark: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 6.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
6.4%
Change on year
down 9.2%
World rank
16th
of 185 countries
All-time high
8.6%
in 2010
All-time low
5.6%
in 1979
Years of data
43
1970–2022
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Denmark, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Denmark stood at 6.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.2% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Denmark peaked at 8.6% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 1979.
That places Denmark 16th out of 185 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6.0% | — |
| 1971 | 6.4% | +7.4% |
| 1972 | 6.5% | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 6.3% | -3.3% |
| 1974 | 6.6% | +5.1% |
| 1975 | 6.7% | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 5.7% | -15.5% |
| 1978 | 5.8% | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 5.6% | -3.0% |
| 1980 | 5.9% | +6.3% |
| 1986 | 5.9% | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 6.1% | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 6.3% | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 5.8% | -7.8% |
| 1991 | 5.6% | -4.2% |
| 1993 | 7.8% | +38.9% |
| 1994 | 7.5% | -3.9% |
| 1995 | 7.5% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 7.9% | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 8.1% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 7.9% | -2.2% |
| 2000 | 8.1% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 8.2% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 8.2% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 8.1% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 8.2% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 8.1% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 7.7% | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 7.6% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 7.5% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 8.4% | +13.0% |
| 2010 | 8.6% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 8.5% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 7.2% | -14.7% |
| 2013 | 8.5% | +17.4% |
| 2014 | 7.6% | -10.1% |
| 2016 | 7.7% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 7.1% | -7.5% |
| 2018 | 7.3% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 7.3% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 7.4% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 7.0% | -5.2% |
| 2022 | 6.4% | -9.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.2% | 5.6% | 6.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 6.0% | 5.8% | 6.3% | 5 |
| 1990s | 7.5% | 5.6% | 8.1% | 7 |
| 2000s | 8.0% | 7.5% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.8% | 7.1% | 8.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 6.4% | 7.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 13 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 6.8% compare
- 14 Republic of Moldova 6.6% compare
- 15 Finland 6.4% compare
- 17 Belgium 6.3% compare
- 18 Puerto Rico 6.1% compare
- 19 South Africa 6.0% compare
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 initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Denmark?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Denmark was 6.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 8.6% in 2010.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 1979.
- How does Denmark rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Denmark ranks 16th out of 185 countries with data for 2022.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. 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 Initial government expenditure on 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