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Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sweden

Sweden: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 7.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
7.3%
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
13th
of 199 countries
All-time high
8.0%
in 2020
All-time low
5.2%
in 1990
Years of data
34
1979–2022

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sweden, 1979–2022

024681979200020221979: 6.4 % of GDP1980: 6.5 % of GDP1981: 6.8 % of GDP1990: 5.2 % of GDP1991: 5.5 % of GDP1992: 5.3 % of GDP1993: 5.5 % of GDP1995: 6.2 % of GDP1996: 6.8 % of GDP1998: 7.1 % of GDP1999: 6.8 % of GDP2000: 6.7 % of GDP2001: 6.6 % of GDP2002: 6.9 % of GDP2003: 6.8 % of GDP2004: 6.7 % of GDP2005: 6.5 % of GDP2006: 6.4 % of GDP2007: 6.2 % of GDP2008: 6.4 % of GDP2009: 6.8 % of GDP2010: 6.6 % of GDP2011: 6.4 % of GDP2012: 7.6 % of GDP2013: 7.6 % of GDP2014: 7.6 % of GDP2015: 7.5 % of GDP2016: 7.6 % of GDP2017: 7.6 % of GDP2018: 7.7 % of GDP2019: 7.7 % of GDP2020: 8 % of GDP2021: 7.6 % of GDP2022: 7.3 % of GDP

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sweden is 7.3%, measured in 2022.

The figure is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sweden peaked at 8.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.2%, in 1990.

That places Sweden 13th out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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% 7.7% 10
2020s 7.6% 7.3% 8.0% 3

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 10 Vanuatu 7.6% compare
  2. 11 Mauritania 7.6% compare
  3. 12 Bolivia 7.5% compare
  4. 14 Iceland 7.3% compare
  5. 15 Montserrat 7.2% compare
  6. 16 Venezuela 6.9% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sweden?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sweden was 7.3% 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 Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 8.0% in 2020.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 5.2% in 1990.
How does Sweden rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Sweden ranks 13th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. 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 (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.