Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Switzerland
Switzerland: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
4.9%
Change on year
down 3.2%
World rank
69th
of 199 countries
All-time high
5.4%
in 2003
All-time low
3.4%
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2022
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Switzerland, 1970–2022
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 Switzerland stood at 4.9%.
The figure is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Switzerland peaked at 5.4% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 1970.
Switzerland ranks 69th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.4% | — |
| 1971 | 3.5% | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 3.7% | +4.6% |
| 1973 | 3.9% | +7.0% |
| 1974 | 4.1% | +5.1% |
| 1975 | 4.4% | +6.3% |
| 1976 | 4.5% | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 4.5% | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 4.4% | -2.8% |
| 1979 | 4.3% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 4.2% | -2.6% |
| 1981 | 4.2% | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 4.3% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 4.4% | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 4.2% | -3.2% |
| 1985 | 4.2% | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 4.2% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 4.2% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 4.2% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 4.1% | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 4.4% | +6.0% |
| 1991 | 4.5% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 4.9% | +8.8% |
| 1994 | 4.9% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 4.9% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 4.9% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 4.8% | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 4.8% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 4.7% | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 4.8% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 5.2% | +7.4% |
| 2003 | 5.4% | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 5.3% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 5.1% | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 4.8% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 4.6% | -5.3% |
| 2008 | 4.8% | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 4.9% | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 4.8% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 4.9% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 4.9% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 4.9% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 4.9% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 5.0% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 5.0% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 5.0% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 5.0% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 5.3% | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 5.0% | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 4.9% | -3.2% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 4.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.1× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 4.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.5%, 1.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.1% | 3.4% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.2% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.8% | 4.4% | 4.9% | 8 |
| 2000s | 5.0% | 4.6% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.8% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.1% | 4.9% | 5.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More reference data data for Switzerland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5507 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2683 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.272 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Switzerland?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Switzerland was 4.9% 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 2003.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 1970.
- How does Switzerland rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Switzerland ranks 69th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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 — 51 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.