EU countries by government spending on education (COFOG)

Sweden had the highest government spending on education (COFOG) of 27 EU countries in 2013, at 7.1% of GDP. Romania had the lowest, at 2.8% of GDP. The median was 5.1% of GDP and the figure for the European Union (27) was 4.8% of GDP. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest7.1Sweden

Lowest2.8Romania

Median5.127 EU countries

European Union (27)4.8History

All EU countries, 2013

% of GDP. Source: Eurostat, General government expenditure by function (COFOG), education, total general government expenditure, percentage of GDP (gov_10a_exp). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	EU countries	2013 % of GDP	Change on 2012
1	Sweden	7.1	0 pts
2	Denmark	6.8	-0.1 pts
3	Slovenia	6.5	+0.1 pts
4	Finland	6.4	0 pts
5	Belgium	6.3	+0.1 pts
5	Cyprus	6.3	+0.4 pts
7	Latvia	6	+0.1 pts
8	Estonia	5.8	-0.3 pts
9	Portugal	5.5	+0.1 pts
10	France	5.3	0 pts
10	Lithuania	5.3	-0.1 pts
10	Netherlands	5.3	-0.2 pts
10	Poland	5.3	-0.1 pts
14	Austria	5.1	+0.1 pts
15	Croatia	5	-0.1 pts
15	Malta	5	-0.2 pts
17	Hungary	4.7	0 pts
17	Luxembourg	4.7	-0.4 pts
19	Greece	4.5	-0.1 pts
20	Ireland	4.4	-0.5 pts
21	Czechia	4.3	0 pts
22	Germany	4.2	0 pts
23	Italy	4.1	0 pts
23	Slovakia Provisional	4.1	+0.2 pts
23	Spain	4.1	-0.1 pts
26	Bulgaria	3.7	+0.4 pts
27	Romania	2.8	-0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

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).

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.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

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.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). General government expenditure by function (COFOG), education, total general government expenditure, percentage of GDP (gov_10a_exp) (EU countries by government spending on education (COFOG), 2013) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/gov_10a_exp/default/table

MLA 9

General government expenditure by function (COFOG), education, total general government expenditure, percentage of GDP (gov_10a_exp), EU countries by government spending on education (COFOG), 2013. Eurostat, European Commission, 16 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/gov_10a_exp/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-education-spending-cofog/eu-countries?period=2013. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. General government expenditure by function (COFOG), education, total general government expenditure, percentage of GDP (gov_10a_exp). EU countries by government spending on education (COFOG), 2013. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/gov_10a_exp/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-education-spending-cofog/eu-countries?period=2013.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) General government expenditure by function (COFOG), education, total general government expenditure, percentage of GDP (gov_10a_exp), EU countries by government spending on education (COFOG), 2013 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/gov_10a_exp/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-education-spending-cofog/eu-countries?period=2013 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_government_2013,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{General government expenditure by function (COFOG), education, total general government expenditure, percentage of GDP (gov\_10a\_exp): EU countries by government spending on education (COFOG), 2013}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/gov_10a_exp/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-education-spending-cofog/eu-countries?period=2013. Publisher attribution: 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.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - General government expenditure by function (COFOG), education, total general government expenditure, percentage of GDP (gov_10a_exp): EU countries by government spending on education (COFOG), 2013
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/16
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/gov_10a_exp/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-education-spending-cofog/eu-countries?period=2013
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-education-spending-cofog/eu-countries?period=2013.
N1  - Publisher attribution: 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.
ER  -

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Rank EU countries by government spending on education (COFOG) using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

Which EU country has the highest government spending on education (COFOG)?

Sweden, with 7.1% of GDP in 2013, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest government spending on education (COFOG)?

Romania, with 2.8% of GDP in 2013.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, General government expenditure by function (COFOG), education, total general government expenditure, percentage of GDP (gov_10a_exp). Retrieved 2026-10-12.