Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Denmark

Denmark: Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP was 2.1% in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
2.1%
Change on year
down 30.7%
World rank
26th
of 152 countries
All-time high
3.2%
in 1993
All-time low
1.0%
in 1977
Years of data
30
1977–2017

Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Denmark, 1977–2017

11.522.531977199720171977: 0.979 %1978: 1 %1979: 1 %1980: 1.2 %1986: 1.3 %1987: 1.4 %1988: 1.5 %1991: 2.8 %1993: 3.2 %1994: 2.9 %1995: 2.9 %1996: 3 %1998: 3 %1999: 3 %2000: 3 %2001: 2.8 %2002: 2.8 %2003: 2.8 %2004: 2.9 %2005: 2.9 %2006: 2.9 %2007: 2.7 %2008: 2.7 %2009: 2.8 %2010: 3 %2011: 2.7 %2012: 2.7 %2013: 2.8 %2014: 3.1 %2017: 2.1 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Denmark recorded 2.1% for government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in 2017.

That represents a change of down 30.7% on the previous year and down 22.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Denmark peaked at 3.2% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1977.

That places Denmark 26th out of 152 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.

Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Denmark, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%) in Denmark, 1977 to 2017.
Year % Change
1977 1.0%
1978 1.0% +5.7%
1979 1.0% -1.0%
1980 1.2% +21.0%
1986 1.3% +2.6%
1987 1.4% +9.2%
1988 1.5% +9.0%
1991 2.8% +84.8%
1993 3.2% +15.8%
1994 2.9% -9.3%
1995 2.9% -0.2%
1996 3.0% +4.1%
1998 3.0% -2.5%
1999 3.0% -0.4%
2000 3.0% +0.4%
2001 2.8% -6.0%
2002 2.8% +0.9%
2003 2.8% -0.2%
2004 2.9% +2.0%
2005 2.9% +2.5%
2006 2.9% -2.7%
2007 2.7% -4.6%
2008 2.7% -1.6%
2009 2.8% +6.1%
2010 3.0% +3.8%
2011 2.7% -7.8%
2012 2.7% +0.9%
2013 2.8% +0.2%
2014 3.1% +10.9%
2017 2.1% -30.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 3
1980s 1.4% 1.2% 1.5% 4
1990s 3.0% 2.8% 3.2% 7
2000s 2.8% 2.7% 3.0% 10
2010s 2.7% 2.1% 3.1% 6

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 23 Kenya 2.2% compare
  2. 24 Argentina 2.2% compare
  3. 25 Sweden 2.1% compare
  4. 27 Austria 2.1% compare
  5. 28 Iceland 2.1% compare
  6. 29 Lesotho 2.1% compare

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More reference data data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Denmark?
Government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Denmark was 2.1% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp recorded in Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 3.2% in 1993.
What is the lowest government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1977.
How does Denmark rank for government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp?
Denmark ranks 26th out of 152 countries with data for 2017.
Is government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Denmark data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Denmark. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-secondary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/denmark/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
152 places, 2,921 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on secondary education (current, capital, and transfers), expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Divide total government expenditure for a given level of education (ex. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) by the GDP, and multiply by 100. A higher percentage of GDP spent on education shows a higher government priority for education, but also a higher capacity of the government to raise revenues for public spending, in relation to the size of the country's economy. When interpreting this indicator however, one should keep in mind in some countries, the private sector and/or households may fund a higher proportion of total funding for education, thus making government expenditure appear lower than in other countries. Limitations: In some instances data on total public expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/