Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Norway
Norway: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Norway, 1972–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, government spending on education overall vs. primary education 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, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Norway peaked at 8.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 1985.
Norway ranks 42nd of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
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
- 39 Curacao 5.4% compare
- 40 Tajikistan 5.4% compare
- 41 Palestine 5.4% compare
- 43 United States 5.4% compare
- 44 South Korea 5.4% compare
- 45 Dominica 5.4% compare
More reference data data for Norway
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0046 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.41 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.41 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.41 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.97 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.95 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 90.52 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 90.62 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.93 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 0.9033 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Norway?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Norway was 5.4% 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 8.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 1985.
- How does Norway rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Norway ranks 42nd out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education 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 (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
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.