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Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Denmark

Denmark: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 6.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
6.4%
Change on year
down 8.7%
World rank
24th
of 199 countries
All-time high
8.6%
in 2010
All-time low
5.6%
in 1979
Years of data
43
1970–2022

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Denmark, 1970–2022

024681970199620221970: 6 % of GDP1971: 6.4 % of GDP1972: 6.5 % of GDP1973: 6.3 % of GDP1974: 6.6 % of GDP1975: 6.7 % of GDP1977: 5.7 % of GDP1978: 5.8 % of GDP1979: 5.6 % of GDP1980: 5.9 % of GDP1986: 5.9 % of GDP1987: 6.1 % of GDP1988: 6.3 % of GDP1989: 5.8 % of GDP1991: 5.6 % of GDP1993: 7.8 % of GDP1994: 7.5 % of GDP1995: 7.5 % of GDP1996: 7.9 % of GDP1998: 8.1 % of GDP1999: 7.9 % of GDP2000: 8.1 % of GDP2001: 8.2 % of GDP2002: 8.2 % of GDP2003: 8.1 % of GDP2004: 8.2 % of GDP2005: 8.1 % of GDP2006: 7.7 % of GDP2007: 7.6 % of GDP2008: 7.4 % of GDP2009: 8.4 % of GDP2010: 8.6 % of GDP2011: 8.5 % of GDP2012: 7.2 % of GDP2013: 8.5 % of GDP2014: 7.6 % of GDP2016: 7.7 % of GDP2017: 7.4 % of GDP2018: 7.3 % of GDP2019: 7.3 % of GDP2020: 7.4 % of GDP2021: 7 % of GDP2022: 6.4 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Denmark recorded 6.4% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.7% on the previous year and down 12.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Denmark peaked at 8.6% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 1979.

Denmark ranks 24th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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% 7.4% 8.4% 10
2010s 7.8% 7.2% 8.6% 9
2020s 6.9% 6.4% 7.4% 3

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 21 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6.5% compare
  2. 22 Kuwait 6.4% compare
  3. 23 Finland 6.4% compare
  4. 25 Belgium 6.3% compare
  5. 26 Senegal 6.2% compare
  6. 27 Eswatini 6.0% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Denmark?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Denmark was 6.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 8.6% in 2010.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 1979.
How does Denmark rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Denmark ranks 24th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.3%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,140 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.