Canada vs Switzerland: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
Canada
4.8%
in 2022
Switzerland
4.9%
in 2022
Canada rank
70th
Switzerland rank
69th
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education over time
- Canada
- Switzerland
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 4.9% against 4.8% in Canada, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 45 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Canada ahead.
Canada ranks 70th and Switzerland ranks 69th of 199 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 4 and Switzerland in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | Switzerland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.0% | 4.1% | 2.8% | Canada |
| 1980s | 6.4% | 4.2% | 2.1% | Canada |
| 1990s | 6.4% | 4.7% | 1.6% | Canada |
| 2000s | 4.9% | 4.9% | 0.1% | Canada |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.9% | 0.0% | Switzerland |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 5.1% | 0.2% | Switzerland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending on education overall vs. primary education, Canada or Switzerland?
- Switzerland, at 4.9% against 4.8% in Canada as of 2022.
- What is the difference in government spending on education overall vs. primary education between Canada and Switzerland?
- 0.1%, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Switzerland?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2022.
- How do Canada and Switzerland rank globally for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Canada ranks 70th and Switzerland ranks 69th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.