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

Sweden: Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of was 42.2% in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
42.2%
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
33rd
of 115 countries
All-time high
58.2%
in 1998
All-time low
36.1%
in 2007
Years of data
20
1998–2017

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

02040601998200720171998: 58.21999: 48.82000: 46.92001: 46.12002: 45.72003: 42.42004: 39.72005: 37.92006: 36.72007: 36.12008: 38.82009: 41.72010: 392011: 37.72012: 41.82013: 42.92014: 43.32015: 42.52016: 432017: 42.2

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2017, initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Sweden stood at 42.2%.

The figure is down 1.7% on the previous year and up 17.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Sweden peaked at 58.2% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 36.1%, in 2007.

Sweden ranks 33rd of 115 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

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

Annual values for Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita in Sweden, 1998 to 2017.
Year Value Change
1998 58.2%
1999 48.8% -16.1%
2000 46.9% -4.0%
2001 46.1% -1.6%
2002 45.7% -0.8%
2003 42.4% -7.3%
2004 39.7% -6.3%
2005 37.9% -4.6%
2006 36.7% -3.2%
2007 36.1% -1.6%
2008 38.8% +7.7%
2009 41.7% +7.5%
2010 39.0% -6.5%
2011 37.7% -3.3%
2012 41.8% +10.7%
2013 42.9% +2.7%
2014 43.3% +0.8%
2015 42.5% -1.7%
2016 43.0% +1.0%
2017 42.2% -1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 53.5% 48.8% 58.2% 2
2000s 41.2% 36.1% 46.9% 10
2010s 41.5% 37.7% 43.3% 8

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 30 Lesotho 47.9% compare
  2. 31 Denmark 45.4% compare
  3. 32 Oman 43.9% compare
  4. 34 Barbados 41.8% compare
  5. 35 Honduras 40.9% compare
  6. 36 Malta 40.5% compare

See the full ranking of 115 places →

More reference data data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Sweden?
Initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of in Sweden was 42.2% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of recorded in Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 58.2% in 1998.
What is the lowest initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 36.1% in 2007.
How does Sweden rank for initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of?
Sweden ranks 33rd out of 115 countries with data for 2017.
Is initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sweden 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 Sweden. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/initial-government-funding-per-tertiary-student-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-per-capita/sweden/

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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/