Least developed countries vs United States of America: Government expenditure on education, total

Least developed countries
3.2%
in 2023
United States of America
5.4%
in 2021
Least developed countries rank
41st
United States of America rank
42nd

Government expenditure on education, total over time

  • Least developed countries
  • United States of America
0246199920112023

How they compare

United States of America currently reports 5.4% against 3.2% in Least developed countries, a difference of 2.2%.

That makes United States of America's figure about 1.7 times Least developed countries's.

Across all 7 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.

Least developed countries ranks 41st and United States of America ranks 42nd of 46 groups.

United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Least developed countries United States of America Difference Ahead
2010s 3.0% 4.9% 1.9% United States of America
2020s 3.1% 5.4% 2.3% United States of America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government expenditure on education, total, Least developed countries or United States of America?
United States of America, at 5.4% against 3.2% in Least developed countries as of 2021.
What is the difference in government expenditure on education, total between Least developed countries and United States of America?
2.2%, with United States of America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Least developed countries and United States of America?
7 years are reported by both, from 2015 to 2021.
How do Least developed countries and United States of America rank globally for government expenditure on education, total?
Least developed countries ranks 41st and United States of America ranks 42nd of 46 groups.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Least developed countries vs United States of America: Government expenditure on education, total. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/government-expenditure-on-education-total-percent-of-gdp/least-developed-countries-un-classification/united-states/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/government-expenditure-on-education-total-percent-of-gdp/least-developed-countries-un-classification/united-states/">Least developed countries vs United States of America: Government expenditure on education, total</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
242 places, 6,340 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.