Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Israel
Israel: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 5.9% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Latest (2022)
5.9%
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
31st
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.6%
in 1985
All-time low
4.3%
in 1988
Years of data
47
1973–2022
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Israel, 1973–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Israel recorded 5.9% for government spending on education as a share of gdp in 2022.
That represents a change of down 3.8% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Israel peaked at 7.6% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 1988.
Israel ranks 31st of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Israel, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 5.1% | — |
| 1974 | 5.7% | +10.7% |
| 1975 | 5.7% | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 5.7% | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 5.6% | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 6.3% | +13.4% |
| 1979 | 6.4% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 6.8% | +6.6% |
| 1981 | 6.7% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 6.3% | -6.0% |
| 1983 | 6.7% | +5.2% |
| 1984 | 6.7% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 7.6% | +14.5% |
| 1986 | 5.8% | -23.6% |
| 1987 | 5.3% | -9.9% |
| 1988 | 4.3% | -18.4% |
| 1989 | 5.4% | +26.6% |
| 1990 | 5.2% | -5.0% |
| 1991 | 5.2% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 5.3% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 5.7% | +6.7% |
| 1994 | 6.1% | +8.1% |
| 1998 | 6.4% | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 6.2% | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 5.9% | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 6.2% | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 6.2% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 6.1% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 5.8% | -6.3% |
| 2005 | 5.6% | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 5.6% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 5.3% | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 5.4% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 5.3% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 5.4% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 5.4% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 5.6% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 5.8% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 5.7% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 5.8% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 5.8% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 6.0% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 6.1% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 6.1% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 6.5% | +7.4% |
| 2021 | 6.2% | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 5.9% | -3.8% |
Israel compared with similar countries
- Israel's 5.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.3× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Israel's 5.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.4%, 1.4× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.8% | 5.1% | 6.4% | 7 |
| 1980s | 6.2% | 4.3% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.7% | 5.2% | 6.4% | 7 |
| 2000s | 5.7% | 5.3% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.8% | 5.4% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.2% | 5.9% | 6.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Israel
- 28 South Africa 6.0% compare
- 29 Morocco 6.0% compare
- 30 Mozambique 6.0% compare
- 32 United Kingdom 5.9% compare
- 33 Bhutan 5.8% compare
- 34 Nauru 5.8% compare
More education data for Israel
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 71,062 (2009)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 7,660 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 291,410 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 277,964 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 948,390 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.05 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9923 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1048 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Israel?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Israel was 5.9% 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 Israel?
- The highest recorded value was 7.6% in 1985.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Israel?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 1988.
- How does Israel rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Israel ranks 31st out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Israel?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Israel 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.