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 2020, at 7.8% of GDP. Ireland had the lowest, at 3% of GDP. The median was 5.1% of GDP and the figure for the European Union (27) was 4.9% of GDP. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest7.8Sweden
Lowest3Ireland
Median5.127 EU countries
European Union (27)4.9History

Map of EU countries, 2020

Austria: 5.1 % of GDPBelgium: 6.5 % of GDPBulgaria: 3.9 % of GDPCyprus: 5.7 % of GDPCzechia: 4.7 % of GDPGermany: 4.6 % of GDPDenmark: 6.2 % of GDPEstonia: 6.3 % of GDPSpain: 4.6 % of GDPFinland: 6.1 % of GDPFrance: 5.2 % of GDPGreece: 4.4 % of GDPCroatia: 5.7 % of GDPHungary: 4.7 % of GDPIreland: 3 % of GDPItaly: 4.3 % of GDPLithuania: 5.1 % of GDPLuxembourg: 5 % of GDPLatvia: 6 % of GDPMalta: 4.9 % of GDPNetherlands: 5.1 % of GDPPoland: 5.1 % of GDPPortugal: 4.7 % of GDPRomania: 3.6 % of GDPSweden: 7.8 % of GDPSlovenia: 5.7 % of GDPSlovakia: 4.7 % of GDP
  • Under 4.6
  • 4.6 to 4.8
  • 4.8 to 5.1
  • 5.1 to 5.9
  • 5.9 and over
% of GDP, 2020. 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, 2020

Sweden: 7.8 % of GDPSweden7.8Belgium: 6.5 % of GDPBelgium6.5Estonia: 6.3 % of GDPEstonia6.3Denmark: 6.2 % of GDPDenmark6.2Finland: 6.1 % of GDPFinland6.1Latvia: 6 % of GDPLatvia6Croatia: 5.7 % of GDPCroatia5.7Cyprus: 5.7 % of GDPCyprus5.7Slovenia: 5.7 % of GDPSlovenia5.7France: 5.2 % of GDPFrance5.2Austria: 5.1 % of GDPAustria5.1Lithuania: 5.1 % of GDPLithuania5.1Netherlands: 5.1 % of GDPNetherlands5.1Poland: 5.1 % of GDPPoland5.1Luxembourg: 5 % of GDPLuxembourg5Malta: 4.9 % of GDPMalta4.9Czechia: 4.7 % of GDPCzechia4.7Hungary: 4.7 % of GDPHungary4.7Portugal: 4.7 % of GDPPortugal4.7Slovakia: 4.7 % of GDPSlovakia4.7Germany: 4.6 % of GDPGermany4.6Spain: 4.6 % of GDPSpain4.6Greece: 4.4 % of GDPGreece4.4Italy: 4.3 % of GDPItaly4.3Bulgaria: 3.9 % of GDPBulgaria3.9Romania: 3.6 % of GDPRomania3.6Ireland: 3 % of GDPIreland3Sweden: 7.8 % of GDPSweden7.8Belgium: 6.5 % of GDPBelgium6.5Estonia: 6.3 % of GDPEstonia6.3Denmark: 6.2 % of GDPDenmark6.2Finland: 6.1 % of GDPFinland6.1Latvia: 6 % of GDPLatvia6Croatia: 5.7 % of GDPCroatia5.7Cyprus: 5.7 % of GDPCyprus5.7Slovenia: 5.7 % of GDPSlovenia5.7France: 5.2 % of GDPFrance5.2Austria: 5.1 % of GDPAustria5.1Lithuania: 5.1 % of GDPLithuania5.1Netherlands: 5.1 % of GDPNetherlands5.1Poland: 5.1 % of GDPPoland5.1Luxembourg: 5 % of GDPLuxembourg5Malta: 4.9 % of GDPMalta4.9Czechia: 4.7 % of GDPCzechia4.7Hungary: 4.7 % of GDPHungary4.7Portugal: 4.7 % of GDPPortugal4.7Slovakia: 4.7 % of GDPSlovakia4.7Germany: 4.6 % of GDPGermany4.6Spain: 4.6 % of GDPSpain4.6Greece: 4.4 % of GDPGreece4.4Italy: 4.3 % of GDPItaly4.3Bulgaria: 3.9 % of GDPBulgaria3.9Romania: 3.6 % of GDPRomania3.6Ireland: 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 countries2020
% of GDP		Change on 2019
1Sweden7.8+0.1 pts
2Belgium6.5+0.4 pts
3Estonia6.3+0.3 pts
4Denmark6.2-0.1 pts
5Finland6.1+0.2 pts
6Latvia6+0.1 pts
7Croatia5.7+0.5 pts
7Cyprus5.7+0.6 pts
7Slovenia5.7+0.3 pts
10France5.2+0.2 pts
11Austria5.1+0.3 pts
11Lithuania5.1+0.5 pts
11Netherlands5.1+0.2 pts
11Poland5.1+0.1 pts
15Luxembourg5+0.2 pts
16Malta4.9+0.4 pts
17Czechia4.7+0.1 pts
17Hungary4.70 pts
17Portugal4.7+0.2 pts
17Slovakia Provisional4.7+0.3 pts
21Germany4.6+0.3 pts
21Spain4.6+0.6 pts
23Greece4.4+0.5 pts
24Italy4.3+0.3 pts
25Bulgaria3.9+0.1 pts
26Romania3.60 pts
27Ireland30 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), 2020) [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), 2020. 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=2020. 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), 2020. 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=2020.

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), 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_government_2020,
  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), 2020}},
  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=2020. 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), 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-education-spending-cofog/eu-countries?period=2020.
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 7.8% of GDP in 2020, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Ireland, with 3% of GDP in 2020.

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