Sweden: Government expenditure per student, primary (% of GDP per capita)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2016, Sweden's government expenditure per student, primary (% of GDP per capita) rose 0.41 percentage points on 2015 (from 21.34% to 21.74%).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2015), the average change was −0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.32 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.98 percentage points in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.64 percentage points in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2007 to 2016 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.49 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 52% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2016, Sweden had the 9th highest value of the 31 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Sweden in the 2016 ranking

• Austria — 6th of 31: 23.48%
• Poland — 7th of 31: 23.08%
• Iceland — 8th of 31: 22.1%
• Norway — 10th of 31: 21.7%
• Israel — 11th of 31: 21.53%
• Finland — 12th of 31: 21.51%

What this measures

Government expenditure per student is the average general government expenditure (current, capital, and transfers) per student in the given level of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 19 values

Government expenditure per student, primary (% of GDP per capita) in nearby economies

• Andorra — 12.31% (2018)
• Austria — 23.48% (2016)
• Cyprus — 31.88% (2016)
• Czechia — 13.87% (2016)
• Estonia — 20.29% (2016)
• Finland — 21.51% (2016)
• France — 17.36% (2016)
• Germany — 17.44% (2016)
• Hungary — 19.06% (2016)

More education data for Sweden

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 859,847 (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 987,895 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.05 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.07 (2020)
• School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.08 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Sweden's government expenditure per student, primary (% of GDP per capita)?

21.74% in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is down 0.61 percentage points from 22.35% in 1998. The highest value was 26.74% in 2009 and the lowest 20.65% in 2001.

How does Sweden rank?

9th highest of 31 economies with data for 2016.

Is the latest change in government expenditure per student, primary (% of GDP per capita) unusual for Sweden?

In 2016, Sweden's government expenditure per student, primary (% of GDP per capita) rose 0.41 percentage points on 2015 (from 21.34% to 21.74%). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2015), the average change was −0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.32 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.PRIM.PC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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