Government spending on education as a share of GDP in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 5.9% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in United Kingdom, 1870–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education as a share of gdp in United Kingdom is 5.9%, 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, government spending on education as a share of gdp in United Kingdom peaked at 6.4% 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.
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 | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 1 |
| 1960s | 4.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 1 |
| 1970s | 5.7% | 5.0% | 6.4% | 7 |
| 1980s | 4.7% | 4.1% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.5% | 4.0% | 5.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.7% | 4.0% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 5.2% | 5.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 5.7% | 5.4% | 5.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 102.2% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 281,128 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.55 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 102.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in United Kingdom?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in United Kingdom was 5.9% in 2021, 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 6.4% in 1976.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1870.
- How does United Kingdom rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- United Kingdom ranks 32nd out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp 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 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.