Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Switzerland
Switzerland: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Switzerland, 1970–2022
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 Switzerland stood at 4.9%.
The figure is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Switzerland peaked at 5.4% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 1970.
Switzerland ranks 69th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.1% | 3.4% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.2% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.8% | 4.4% | 4.9% | 8 |
| 2000s | 5.0% | 4.6% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.8% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.1% | 4.9% | 5.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More reference data data for Switzerland
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0061 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.43 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.43 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.43 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.97 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.76 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 87.32 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 85.59 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.64 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 0.9807 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Switzerland?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Switzerland was 4.9% 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 2003.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 1970.
- How does Switzerland rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Switzerland ranks 69th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.