Data / Rankings / Government spending on education (COFOG) / EU countries

EU countries by government spending on education (COFOG)

Sweden had the highest government spending on education (COFOG) of 27 EU countries in 2018, at 7.6% of GDP. Ireland had the lowest, at 3% of GDP. The median was 4.8% of GDP and the figure for the European Union (27) was 4.6% of GDP. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest7.6Sweden
Lowest3Ireland
Median4.827 EU countries
European Union (27)4.6History

Map of EU countries, 2018

Austria: 4.8 % of GDPBelgium: 6.2 % of GDPBulgaria: 3.5 % of GDPCyprus: 5 % of GDPCzechia: 4.3 % of GDPGermany: 4.2 % of GDPDenmark: 6.4 % of GDPEstonia: 6.1 % of GDPSpain: 3.9 % of GDPFinland: 5.8 % of GDPFrance: 5.1 % of GDPGreece: 4.1 % of GDPCroatia: 4.8 % of GDPHungary: 5 % of GDPIreland: 3 % of GDPItaly: 4 % of GDPLithuania: 4.5 % of GDPLuxembourg: 4.7 % of GDPLatvia: 6 % of GDPMalta: 4.4 % of GDPNetherlands: 5 % of GDPPoland: 4.9 % of GDPPortugal: 4.4 % of GDPRomania: 3.1 % of GDPSweden: 7.6 % of GDPSlovenia: 5.4 % of GDPSlovakia: 4.2 % of GDP
  • Under 4.1
  • 4.1 to 4.4
  • 4.4 to 5
  • 5 to 5.7
  • 5.7 and over
% of GDP, 2018. Source: Eurostat, General government expenditure by function (COFOG), education, total general government expenditure, percentage of GDP (gov_10a_exp). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2018

Sweden: 7.6 % of GDPSweden7.6Denmark: 6.4 % of GDPDenmark6.4Belgium: 6.2 % of GDPBelgium6.2Estonia: 6.1 % of GDPEstonia6.1Latvia: 6 % of GDPLatvia6Finland: 5.8 % of GDPFinland5.8Slovenia: 5.4 % of GDPSlovenia5.4France: 5.1 % of GDPFrance5.1Cyprus: 5 % of GDPCyprus5Hungary: 5 % of GDPHungary5Netherlands: 5 % of GDPNetherlands5Poland: 4.9 % of GDPPoland4.9Austria: 4.8 % of GDPAustria4.8Croatia: 4.8 % of GDPCroatia4.8Luxembourg: 4.7 % of GDPLuxembourg4.7Lithuania: 4.5 % of GDPLithuania4.5Malta: 4.4 % of GDPMalta4.4Portugal: 4.4 % of GDPPortugal4.4Czechia: 4.3 % of GDPCzechia4.3Germany: 4.2 % of GDPGermany4.2Slovakia: 4.2 % of GDPSlovakia4.2Greece: 4.1 % of GDPGreece4.1Italy: 4 % of GDPItaly4Spain: 3.9 % of GDPSpain3.9Bulgaria: 3.5 % of GDPBulgaria3.5Romania: 3.1 % of GDPRomania3.1Ireland: 3 % of GDPIreland3Sweden: 7.6 % of GDPSweden7.6Denmark: 6.4 % of GDPDenmark6.4Belgium: 6.2 % of GDPBelgium6.2Estonia: 6.1 % of GDPEstonia6.1Latvia: 6 % of GDPLatvia6Finland: 5.8 % of GDPFinland5.8Slovenia: 5.4 % of GDPSlovenia5.4France: 5.1 % of GDPFrance5.1Cyprus: 5 % of GDPCyprus5Hungary: 5 % of GDPHungary5Netherlands: 5 % of GDPNetherlands5Poland: 4.9 % of GDPPoland4.9Austria: 4.8 % of GDPAustria4.8Croatia: 4.8 % of GDPCroatia4.8Luxembourg: 4.7 % of GDPLuxembourg4.7Lithuania: 4.5 % of GDPLithuania4.5Malta: 4.4 % of GDPMalta4.4Portugal: 4.4 % of GDPPortugal4.4Czechia: 4.3 % of GDPCzechia4.3Germany: 4.2 % of GDPGermany4.2Slovakia: 4.2 % of GDPSlovakia4.2Greece: 4.1 % of GDPGreece4.1Italy: 4 % of GDPItaly4Spain: 3.9 % of GDPSpain3.9Bulgaria: 3.5 % of GDPBulgaria3.5Romania: 3.1 % of GDPRomania3.1Ireland: 3 % of GDPIreland3
% 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

RankEU countries2018
% of GDP		Change on 2017
1Sweden7.6+0.1 pts
2Denmark6.40 pts
3Belgium6.20 pts
4Estonia6.1+0.5 pts
5Latvia60 pts
6Finland5.80 pts
7Slovenia5.4-0.1 pts
8France5.1-0.1 pts
9Cyprus5-0.2 pts
9Hungary5-0.1 pts
9Netherlands50 pts
12Poland4.90 pts
13Austria4.8-0.1 pts
13Croatia4.80 pts
15Luxembourg4.7+0.3 pts
16Lithuania4.50 pts
17Malta4.4+0.3 pts
17Portugal4.4-0.2 pts
19Czechia4.3+0.5 pts
20Germany4.2+0.1 pts
20Slovakia Provisional4.2+0.3 pts
22Greece4.1+0.2 pts
23Italy40 pts
24Spain3.9-0.1 pts
25Bulgaria3.50 pts
26Romania3.1+0.2 pts
27Ireland3-0.1 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), 2018) [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), 2018. 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=2018. 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), 2018. 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=2018.

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), 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_government_2018,
  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), 2018}},
  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=2018. 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), 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-education-spending-cofog/eu-countries?period=2018.
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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Questions

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

Sweden, with 7.6% of GDP in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Ireland, with 3% of GDP in 2018.

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.

EU countries: more rankings