Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Norway
Norway: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 5.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
5.4%
Change on year
down 22.0%
World rank
29th
of 185 countries
All-time high
8.4%
in 2020
All-time low
5.3%
in 1985
Years of data
50
1972–2022
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Norway, 1972–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Norway stood at 5.4%.
The figure is down 22.0% on the previous year and down 25.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Norway peaked at 8.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 1985.
Norway ranks 29th of 185 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Norway, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 5.9% | — |
| 1973 | 5.9% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 5.7% | -3.7% |
| 1975 | 5.6% | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 6.2% | +11.1% |
| 1977 | 6.0% | -3.1% |
| 1978 | 6.4% | +7.9% |
| 1980 | 5.8% | -10.3% |
| 1981 | 5.5% | -4.1% |
| 1982 | 5.7% | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 5.6% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 5.4% | -3.8% |
| 1985 | 5.3% | -3.2% |
| 1986 | 5.5% | +5.4% |
| 1987 | 5.8% | +4.5% |
| 1988 | 5.9% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 6.3% | +7.4% |
| 1990 | 6.3% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 6.4% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 6.6% | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 7.7% | +15.7% |
| 1994 | 7.8% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 7.7% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 7.1% | -7.2% |
| 1997 | 7.3% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 7.4% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 7.0% | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 6.5% | -7.2% |
| 2001 | 6.8% | +5.6% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | +8.8% |
| 2003 | 7.4% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 7.3% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 6.8% | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 6.4% | -7.1% |
| 2007 | 6.5% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 6.2% | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 7.1% | +13.1% |
| 2010 | 6.7% | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 6.4% | -4.4% |
| 2012 | 7.3% | +14.2% |
| 2013 | 7.4% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 7.6% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 7.5% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 8.0% | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 7.8% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 7.6% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 7.9% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 8.4% | +6.5% |
| 2021 | 7.0% | -16.9% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | -22.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.9% | 5.6% | 6.4% | 7 |
| 1980s | 5.7% | 5.3% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.1% | 6.3% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.8% | 6.2% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 6.4% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 5.4% | 8.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 26 Jamaica 5.5% compare
- 27 Dominica 5.5% compare
- 28 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 5.4% compare
- 30 Republic of Korea 5.4% compare
- 31 France 5.3% compare
- 32 Costa Rica 5.3% 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 initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Norway?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Norway was 5.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 8.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 1985.
- How does Norway rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Norway ranks 29th out of 185 countries with data for 2022.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.9%. 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 Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release