EU countries by government spending on education (COFOG)

Sweden had the highest government spending on education (COFOG) of 27 EU countries in 2021, at 7.4% of GDP. Ireland had the lowest, at 2.6% of GDP. The median was 4.7% of GDP and the figure for the European Union (27) was 4.7% of GDP. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest7.4Sweden

Lowest2.6Ireland

Median4.727 EU countries

European Union (27)4.7History

All EU countries, 2021

% 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	2021 % of GDP	Change on 2020
1	Sweden	7.4	-0.4 pts
2	Belgium	6.2	-0.3 pts
3	Denmark	5.9	-0.3 pts
3	Estonia	5.9	-0.4 pts
3	Finland	5.9	-0.2 pts
3	Latvia	5.9	-0.1 pts
7	Slovenia	5.8	+0.1 pts
8	Croatia	5.4	-0.3 pts
9	Cyprus	5.1	-0.6 pts
9	France	5.1	-0.1 pts
11	Netherlands	5	-0.1 pts
12	Austria	4.9	-0.2 pts
12	Poland	4.9	-0.2 pts
14	Czechia	4.7	0 pts
14	Lithuania	4.7	-0.4 pts
14	Portugal	4.7	0 pts
17	Hungary	4.6	-0.1 pts
17	Luxembourg	4.6	-0.4 pts
17	Malta	4.6	-0.3 pts
17	Slovakia Provisional	4.6	-0.1 pts
21	Spain	4.5	-0.1 pts
22	Germany	4.4	-0.2 pts
23	Bulgaria	4.3	+0.4 pts
24	Italy	4.2	-0.1 pts
25	Greece	4	-0.4 pts
26	Romania	3.2	-0.4 pts
27	Ireland	2.6	-0.4 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), 2021) [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), 2021. 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=2021. 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), 2021. 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=2021.

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), 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_government_2021,
  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), 2021}},
  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=2021. 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), 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-education-spending-cofog/eu-countries?period=2021.
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 7.4% of GDP in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Ireland, with 2.6% of GDP in 2021.

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.