Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Sweden
Sweden: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 7.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
7.3%
Change on year
down 3.3%
World rank
10th
of 185 countries
All-time high
7.9%
in 2020
All-time low
5.2%
in 1990
Years of data
34
1979–2022
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Sweden, 1979–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 7.3% for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in 2022.
The figure is down 3.3% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Sweden peaked at 7.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.2%, in 1990.
Sweden ranks 10th of 185 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 6.4% | — |
| 1980 | 6.5% | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 6.8% | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 5.2% | -23.1% |
| 1991 | 5.5% | +4.4% |
| 1992 | 5.3% | -3.4% |
| 1993 | 5.5% | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 6.2% | +11.6% |
| 1996 | 6.8% | +11.0% |
| 1998 | 7.1% | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 6.8% | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 6.7% | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 6.6% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 6.9% | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 6.8% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 6.7% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 6.4% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 6.2% | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 6.3% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 6.7% | +6.4% |
| 2010 | 6.5% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 6.4% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 7.5% | +18.4% |
| 2013 | 7.6% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 7.6% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 7.4% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 7.6% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 7.6% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 7.6% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 7.6% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 7.9% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 7.6% | -4.5% |
| 2022 | 7.3% | -3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 1 |
| 1980s | 6.7% | 6.5% | 6.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 6.0% | 5.2% | 7.1% | 8 |
| 2000s | 6.6% | 6.2% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 6.4% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.6% | 7.3% | 7.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 7 Mauritania 7.6% compare
- 8 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 7.5% compare
- 9 Eswatini 7.4% compare
- 11 Iceland 7.3% compare
- 12 Lesotho 7.3% compare
- 13 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 6.8% compare
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 initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Sweden?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Sweden was 7.3% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 7.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.2% in 1990.
- How does Sweden rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Sweden ranks 10th out of 185 countries with data for 2022.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. 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 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