Romania records lowest EU public education spending at 3% of GDP

Eurostat data for 2023 reveals that public spending on education (from kindergarten to high school) across the European Union averaged 4.7% of GDP, remaining stable compared to 2022. This is a slight decrease from the 5% peak recorded in 2020.

Romania recorded the lowest level of public education spending in the EU at 3% of its GDP, followed by Greece at 3.3% and Malta at 3.4%. In contrast, Sweden allocated the highest proportion at 6.8%, followed by Finland at 6.3% and Belgium at 6.2%.

Regarding expenditure structure, capital expenditures accounted for less than 5% of total education spending in Romania and Belgium. In several other member states, including Greece, Hungary, and Poland, capital expenditures represented at least 10% of the total. In most surveyed EU countries, teacher salaries constituted the majority of educational spending.