Education spending in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Education spending was 5.91 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Education spending in United Kingdom, 1870–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for education spending in United Kingdom is 5.91, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of up 8.6% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, education spending in United Kingdom peaked at 6.42 in 1976 and was at its lowest, 0.1, in 1870.
That places United Kingdom 32nd out of 199 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Education spending in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.1 | — |
| 1913 | 1.1 | +1000.0% |
| 1937 | 4 | +263.6% |
| 1960 | 4.3 | +7.5% |
| 1971 | 5.03 | +17.0% |
| 1972 | 5.16 | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 5.45 | +5.6% |
| 1974 | 5.39 | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 6.27 | +16.3% |
| 1976 | 6.42 | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 6.06 | -5.6% |
| 1980 | 5.07 | -16.4% |
| 1981 | 5.29 | +4.3% |
| 1982 | 5.19 | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 5.06 | -2.5% |
| 1984 | 4.9 | -3.2% |
| 1985 | 4.59 | -6.2% |
| 1986 | 4.38 | -4.6% |
| 1987 | 4.37 | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 4.27 | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 4.13 | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 4.06 | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 4.12 | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 4.33 | +5.1% |
| 1993 | 5.4 | +24.6% |
| 1994 | 4.85 | -10.2% |
| 1995 | 4.84 | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 4.38 | -9.5% |
| 1998 | 4.21 | -3.9% |
| 1999 | 3.99 | -5.2% |
| 2000 | 4.02 | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 4.1 | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 4.61 | +12.5% |
| 2003 | 4.8 | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 4.74 | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 4.93 | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 4.98 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 4.92 | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 4.91 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 5.06 | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 5.7 | +12.6% |
| 2011 | 5.57 | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 5.53 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 5.6 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 5.55 | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 5.43 | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 5.45 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 5.2 | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 5.26 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 5.44 | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 5.91 | +8.6% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 5.91 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4, 1.3× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 5.91 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.5, 1.3× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Education spending in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | +1000.0% | 0.1 | 1.1 |
| 1937 | +263.6% | 1.1 | 4 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1 |
| 1910s | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1 |
| 1930s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 1960s | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 1 |
| 1970s | 5.68 | 5.03 | 6.42 | 7 |
| 1980s | 4.72 | 4.13 | 5.29 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.46 | 3.99 | 5.4 | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.71 | 4.02 | 5.06 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.48 | 5.2 | 5.7 | 9 |
| 2020s | 5.67 | 5.44 | 5.91 | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.73 (2018)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.93 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is education spending in United Kingdom?
- Education spending in United Kingdom was 5.91 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest education spending recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 6.42 in 1976.
- What is the lowest education spending recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1 in 1870.
- How does United Kingdom rank for education spending?
- United Kingdom ranks 32nd out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is education spending rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Education spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).