The Norwegian Education Mirror 2022
Higher spending per pupil in Norway than in most other countries
Adjusted for purchasing power and converted to dollars, Norway has significantly higher costs per pupil in primary and secondary education than the OECD average. In 2019, which is the last year with comparable figures, Norway spent 55 per cent more per primary level pupil than the OECD average, and 34 per cent more per secondary level pupil. Costs for upper secondary school education is 44 per cent higher than the OECD average (OECD 2022).
Norway also has significantly higher costs per pupil in primary school and upper secondary school in comparison with the other Nordic countries, while Iceland and Finland have higher costs per pupil in lower secondary school than Norway.
| Education level | Norway | Island | Sweden | Danmark | Finland | OECD average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary school | 15 334 | 14 304 | 13 234 | 12 273 | 10 576 | 9 923 |
| Lower secondary school | 15 334 | 16 502 | 13 158 | 14 924 | 16 869 | 11 417 |
| Upper secondary school | 16 884 | 14 004 | 13 437 | 10 584 | 9 292 | 11 711 |
| Source: OECD (2022) | ||||||
In Norway, 4.6 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) was used on primary and lower secondary schools and upper secondary education in 2019. Norway uses a higher proportion of its GDP on primary and lower secondary school and upper secondary school than some other OECD countries, 1.5 per cent higher than the OECD average.