Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Iceland

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

Latest (2017)
2.1%
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
28th
of 152 countries
All-time high
2.5%
in 2003
All-time low
1.1%
in 1990
Years of data
23
1990–2017

Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Iceland, 1990–2017

01231990200320171990: 1.1 %1993: 2 %1994: 2 %1996: 2.3 %1999: 2.2 %2000: 2.1 %2001: 2.3 %2002: 2.5 %2003: 2.5 %2004: 2.5 %2005: 2.5 %2006: 2.5 %2007: 2.3 %2008: 2.3 %2009: 2.3 %2010: 2.2 %2011: 2.2 %2012: 2.1 %2013: 2.1 %2014: 2.1 %2015: 2.1 %2016: 2 %2017: 2.1 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Iceland is 2.1%, measured in 2017.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Iceland peaked at 2.5% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 1990.

That places Iceland 28th out of 152 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%) in Iceland, 1990 to 2017.
Year % Change
1990 1.1%
1993 2.0% +87.0%
1994 2.0% -2.7%
1996 2.3% +14.4%
1999 2.2% -4.4%
2000 2.1% -4.0%
2001 2.3% +11.8%
2002 2.5% +7.0%
2003 2.5% +0.1%
2004 2.5% -1.3%
2005 2.5% +0.0%
2006 2.5% -0.9%
2007 2.3% -7.2%
2008 2.3% -0.4%
2009 2.3% +1.3%
2010 2.2% -5.3%
2011 2.2% -0.4%
2012 2.1% -1.7%
2013 2.1% -1.6%
2014 2.1% +1.6%
2015 2.1% -0.6%
2016 2.0% -3.3%
2017 2.1% +3.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.9% 1.1% 2.3% 5
2000s 2.4% 2.1% 2.5% 10
2010s 2.1% 2.0% 2.2% 8

Countries ranked near Iceland

  1. 25 Sweden 2.1% compare
  2. 26 Denmark 2.1% compare
  3. 27 Austria 2.1% compare
  4. 29 Lesotho 2.1% compare
  5. 30 Netherlands 2.1% compare
  6. 31 Cape Verde 2.1% compare

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More reference data data for Iceland

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Iceland?
Government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Iceland 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 Iceland?
The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 2003.
What is the lowest government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp recorded in Iceland?
The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 1990.
How does Iceland rank for government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp?
Iceland ranks 28th out of 152 countries with data for 2017.
Is government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp rising or falling in Iceland?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iceland 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 Iceland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-secondary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/iceland/

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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/