Romania spends EU's lowest share of GDP on education

19 August 2026 Romania allocates the lowest percentage of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to education in the entire European Union, namely 3%, while the European average is 4.7%. On the other hand, Sweden allocates the most - 6.8%, according to data published on Tuesday, August 18, by Eurostat – the European Statistical Office. Furthermore, Romania allocates the lowest share of education budget on investments (as opposed to wages). When it comes to the structure of expenditure, in Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Poland, Estonia, and Luxembourg, capital expenditure represented at least 10% of total expenditure for educational institutions in 2023. In contrast, capital expenditure represented less than 5% of total expenditure in Romania and Belgium. Public spending on education