Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Norway
Norway: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
5.4%
Change on year
down 22.0%
World rank
42nd
of 199 countries
All-time high
8.4%
in 2020
All-time low
5.3%
in 1985
Years of data
50
1972–2022
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Norway, 1972–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Norway stood at 5.4%.
The figure is down 22.0% on the previous year and down 25.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Norway peaked at 8.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 1985.
Norway ranks 42nd of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Norway, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 5.9% | — |
| 1973 | 5.9% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 5.7% | -3.7% |
| 1975 | 5.6% | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 6.2% | +11.1% |
| 1977 | 6.0% | -3.1% |
| 1978 | 6.4% | +7.9% |
| 1980 | 5.8% | -10.3% |
| 1981 | 5.5% | -4.1% |
| 1982 | 5.7% | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 5.6% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 5.4% | -3.8% |
| 1985 | 5.3% | -3.2% |
| 1986 | 5.5% | +5.4% |
| 1987 | 5.8% | +4.5% |
| 1988 | 5.9% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 6.3% | +7.4% |
| 1990 | 6.3% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 6.4% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 6.6% | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 7.7% | +15.7% |
| 1994 | 7.8% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 7.7% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 7.1% | -7.2% |
| 1997 | 7.3% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 7.4% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 7.0% | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 6.5% | -7.2% |
| 2001 | 6.8% | +5.6% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | +8.8% |
| 2003 | 7.4% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 7.3% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 6.8% | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 6.4% | -7.1% |
| 2007 | 6.5% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 6.2% | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 7.1% | +13.1% |
| 2010 | 6.7% | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 6.4% | -4.4% |
| 2012 | 7.3% | +14.2% |
| 2013 | 7.4% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 7.6% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 7.5% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 8.0% | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 7.8% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 7.6% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 7.9% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 8.4% | +6.5% |
| 2021 | 7.0% | -16.9% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | -22.0% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 5.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.2× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Norway's 5.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.5%, 1.2× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.9% | 5.6% | 6.4% | 7 |
| 1980s | 5.7% | 5.3% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.1% | 6.3% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.8% | 6.2% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 6.4% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 5.4% | 8.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 39 Curacao 5.4% compare
- 40 Tajikistan 5.4% compare
- 41 Palestine 5.4% compare
- 43 United States 5.4% compare
- 44 South Korea 5.4% compare
- 45 Dominica 5.4% compare
More reference data data for Norway
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3703 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3621 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0618 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7734 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3366 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Norway?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Norway was 5.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 8.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 1985.
- How does Norway rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Norway ranks 42nd out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.