# Government spending on education (COFOG)

Total expenditure of general government on education (COFOG division 09: pre-primary to tertiary education, education not definable by level, subsidiary services, research and development and other education spending) as a percentage of GDP, from the government accounts by function (ESA 2010).

## Key facts

- Government spending on education (COFOG) in the European Union (27) was 4.7% of GDP in 2024, according to Eurostat, European Commission.
- Sweden had the highest government spending on education (COFOG) of 27 EU countries in 2024, at 7.3% of GDP, and Ireland the lowest, at 2.7% of GDP. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.
- Published for 28 places, with figures from 1995 to 2025.
- Figures last updated on 2026-10-12.

- Indicator id: `government_education_expenditure_cofog_gdp_share`
- Unit: % of GDP
- Note: A national accounts measure of all government education spending, transfers included. UNESCO and OECD education finance statistics count spending on educational institutions by a different method, so their figures differ.
- Web page: https://invokely.ai/en/government-education-spending-cofog
- API: https://invokely.ai/api/v1/indicators/government_education_expenditure_cofog_gdp_share

## Latest figures

| Place | Period | % of GDP | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|
| European Union (27) | 2024 | 4.7 | Eurostat. General government expenditure by function (COFOG), education, total general government expenditure, percentage of GDP (gov_10a_exp). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/gov_10a_exp/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12. |

## Rankings

- [EU countries](https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-education-spending-cofog/eu-countries.md) (27 places)