Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Spain

Spain: Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of was 21.8% in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
21.8%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
75th
of 115 countries
All-time high
28.9%
in 2009
All-time low
19.3%
in 1999
Years of data
20
1998–2017

Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Spain, 1998–2017

01020301998200720171998: 19.61999: 19.32000: 20.12001: 20.92002: 21.32003: 22.22004: 22.22005: 22.42006: 23.12007: 24.72008: 272009: 28.92010: 28.22011: 27.52012: 24.12013: 23.42014: 23.12015: 232016: 21.92017: 21.8

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Spain is 21.8%, measured in 2017.

The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Spain peaked at 28.9% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 19.3%, in 1999.

Spain ranks 75th of 115 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.

Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Spain, year by year

Annual values for Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita in Spain, 1998 to 2017.
Year Value Change
1998 19.6%
1999 19.3% -1.1%
2000 20.1% +4.1%
2001 20.9% +3.7%
2002 21.3% +2.2%
2003 22.2% +4.0%
2004 22.2% -0.0%
2005 22.4% +0.7%
2006 23.1% +3.3%
2007 24.7% +7.1%
2008 27.0% +9.0%
2009 28.9% +7.1%
2010 28.2% -2.3%
2011 27.5% -2.5%
2012 24.1% -12.5%
2013 23.4% -2.7%
2014 23.1% -1.3%
2015 23.0% -0.5%
2016 21.9% -4.7%
2017 21.8% -0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 19.4% 19.3% 19.6% 2
2000s 23.3% 20.1% 28.9% 10
2010s 24.1% 21.8% 28.2% 8

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 72 Portugal 23.2% compare
  2. 73 Bulgaria 22.5% compare
  3. 74 Azerbaijan 22.3% compare
  4. 76 Cyprus 21.7% compare
  5. 77 Czechia 21.6% compare
  6. 78 Colombia 21.4% compare

See the full ranking of 115 places →

More reference data data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Spain?
Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Spain was 21.8% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 28.9% in 2009.
What is the lowest initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 19.3% in 1999.
How does Spain rank for initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of?
Spain ranks 75th out of 115 countries with data for 2017.
Is initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Spain data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Spain. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/initial-government-funding-per-tertiary-student-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-per-capita/spain/

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About this data

Indicator
Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
115 places, 1,387 data points, 1970–2019
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/