Government spending on education as a share of GDP in France
France: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 5.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in France, 1870–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, government spending on education as a share of gdp in France stood at 5.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in France peaked at 5.8% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1870.
That places France 47th out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
| 1910s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1 |
| 1930s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1 |
| 1960s | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 1 |
| 1970s | 4.0% | 3.2% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.7% | 4.3% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.3% | 4.6% | 5.8% | 8 |
| 2010s | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.5% | 3 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 5.3% | 5.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near France
- 44 South Korea 5.4% compare
- 45 Dominica 5.4% compare
- 46 Burkina Faso 5.3% compare
- 48 Costa Rica 5.3% compare
- 49 Tonga 5.3% compare
- 50 Slovenia 5.3% compare
More education data for France
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 61.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 16.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 103.4% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 229,471 (2013)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.64 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 103.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in France?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in France was 5.3% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 1995.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1870.
- How does France rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- France ranks 47th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.