Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Norway

Norway: Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP was 22.1% in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
22.1%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
20th
of 122 countries
All-time high
37.9%
in 1997
All-time low
17.6%
in 2008
Years of data
18
1997–2017

Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Norway, 1997–2017

0102030401997200720171997: 37.91998: 21.42002: 202003: 20.82004: 19.62005: 18.52006: 17.82007: 17.92008: 17.62009: 20.92010: 20.72011: 19.62012: 19.32013: 202014: 202015: 21.52016: 21.92017: 22.1

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Norway is 22.1%, measured in 2017.

The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 23.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Norway peaked at 37.9% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 17.6%, in 2008.

Norway ranks 20th of 122 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.

Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Norway, year by year

Annual values for Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita in Norway, 1997 to 2017.
Year Value Change
1997 37.9%
1998 21.4% -43.6%
2002 20.0% -6.4%
2003 20.8% +4.1%
2004 19.6% -6.1%
2005 18.5% -5.6%
2006 17.8% -4.0%
2007 17.9% +0.6%
2008 17.6% -1.5%
2009 20.9% +19.1%
2010 20.7% -1.0%
2011 19.6% -5.5%
2012 19.3% -1.6%
2013 20.0% +3.5%
2014 20.0% +0.0%
2015 21.5% +7.9%
2016 21.9% +1.4%
2017 22.1% +1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 29.7% 21.4% 37.9% 2
2000s 19.1% 17.6% 20.9% 8
2010s 20.6% 19.3% 22.1% 8

Countries ranked near Norway

  1. 17 Israel 22.5% compare
  2. 18 Slovenia 22.3% compare
  3. 19 Lesotho 22.2% compare
  4. 21 Sweden 21.7% compare
  5. 22 Latvia 21.5% compare
  6. 23 Costa Rica 21.3% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Norway

All data for Norway →

Frequently asked questions

What is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Norway?
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in Norway was 22.1% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in Norway?
The highest recorded value was 37.9% in 1997.
What is the lowest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in Norway?
The lowest recorded value was 17.6% in 2008.
How does Norway rank for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp?
Norway ranks 20th out of 122 countries with data for 2017.
Is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Norway?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Norway data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in Norway. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/initial-government-funding-per-primary-student-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-per-capita/norway/

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About this data

Indicator
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 1,518 data points, 1995–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central, current and capital) initial government funding of education per student, which includes transfers paid (such as scholarships to students), but excludes transfers received, in this case international transfers to government for education (when foreign donors provide education sector budget support or other support integrated in the government budget). Calculation Method: Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure (current and capital) on a given level of education (primary, secondary, etc) minus international transfers to government for education, divided by the number of student enrolled at that level of education. This is then expressed as a share of GDP per capita. Limitations: In some instances data on total government 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. There are also cases where it may not be possible to separate international transfers to government from general government expenditure on education, in which cases they have not been subtracted in the formula. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/