Expenditure on education as % of GDP or public expenditure (1991-2011) by country
Countries reporting
42
Highest
8.8%
Denmark
Lowest
2.5%
Liechtenstein
Median
5.2%
Years covered
21
1991–2011
Data points
717
What the numbers show
Expenditure on education as % of GDP or public expenditure (1991-2011) is currently reported for 42 countries. The highest value is 8.8% in Denmark; the lowest is 2.5% in Liechtenstein.
The median across all reporting countries is 5.2%, and the mean is 5.3%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 3.
Over the past decade 23 countries rose and 19 fell. The largest increase was in Malta (up 86.4%), and the largest decrease in Latvia (down 31.3%).
Expenditure on education as % of GDP or public expenditure: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark | 8.8% | 2011 | up 3.7% | rising |
| 2 | Malta | 8.0% | 2011 | up 86.4% | rising |
| 3 | Cyprus | 7.9% | 2011 | up 31.6% | rising |
| 4 | Iceland | 7.4% | 2011 | up 17.9% | rising |
| 5 | Sweden | 6.8% | 2011 | down 3.4% | falling |
| 6 | Finland | 6.8% | 2011 | up 11.6% | falling |
| 7 | Norway | 6.7% | 2011 | down 7.2% | falling |
| 8 | Belgium | 6.5% | 2011 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 9 | Ireland | 6.2% | 2011 | up 45.0% | rising |
| 10 | United Kingdom | 6.0% | 2011 | up 30.6% | rising |
| 10 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 6.0% | 2011 | up 30.6% | rising |
| 12 | Netherlands | 5.9% | 2011 | up 16.5% | rising |
| 12 | Netherlands | 5.9% | 2011 | up 16.5% | rising |
| 14 | Austria | 5.8% | 2011 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 15 | France | 5.7% | 2011 | down 4.5% | flat |
| 15 | Slovenia | 5.7% | 2011 | down 3.1% | falling |
| 15 | Slovenia | 5.7% | 2011 | down 3.1% | falling |
| 18 | Switzerland | 5.3% | 2011 | up 0.6% | flat |
| 19 | Portugal | 5.3% | 2011 | down 2.2% | flat |
| 20 | Lithuania | 5.2% | 2011 | down 11.8% | falling |
| 20 | Lithuania | 5.2% | 2011 | down 11.8% | falling |
| 22 | Estonia | 5.2% | 2011 | down 1.5% | falling |
| 22 | Estonia | 5.2% | 2011 | down 1.5% | falling |
| 24 | Germany | 5.0% | 2011 | up 10.4% | rising |
| 25 | Latvia | 5.0% | 2011 | down 31.3% | falling |
| 25 | Latvia | 5.0% | 2011 | down 31.3% | falling |
| 27 | Poland | 4.9% | 2011 | down 8.9% | flat |
| 27 | Poland | 4.9% | 2011 | down 8.9% | flat |
| 29 | Spain | 4.8% | 2011 | up 13.7% | flat |
| 30 | Hungary | 4.7% | 2011 | down 6.9% | falling |
| 31 | Czechia | 4.5% | 2011 | up 14.8% | flat |
| 32 | Italy | 4.3% | 2011 | down 11.2% | falling |
| 33 | Croatia | 4.2% | 2011 | up 13.5% | rising |
| 33 | Croatia | 4.2% | 2011 | up 13.5% | rising |
| 35 | Greece | 4.1% | 2005 | up 42.5% | rising |
| 36 | Türkiye | 4.1% | 2011 | up 50.2% | rising |
| 37 | Slovakia | 4.1% | 2011 | up 1.8% | falling |
| 37 | Slovakia | 4.1% | 2011 | up 1.8% | falling |
| 39 | Bulgaria | 3.8% | 2011 | up 3.2% | flat |
| 40 | Luxembourg | 3.1% | 2007 | down 23.7% | falling |
| 41 | Romania | 3.1% | 2011 | down 5.5% | rising |
| 42 | Liechtenstein | 2.5% | 2011 | down 14.5% | flat |