Education spending in United States
United States: Education spending was 5.42 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
5.42
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
43rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
5.5
in 1993
All-time low
4
in 1960
Years of data
9
1960–2021
Education spending in United States, 1960–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United States recorded 5.42 for education spending in 2021.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, education spending in United States peaked at 5.5 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 4, in 1960.
United States ranks 43rd of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Education spending in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4 | — |
| 1993 | 5.5 | +37.5% |
| 2015 | 4.93 | -10.4% |
| 2016 | 4.78 | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 5.09 | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 4.9 | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 4.96 | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 5.4 | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 5.42 | +0.5% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 5.42 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4, 1.2× the median. (72 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 1990s | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 1 |
| 2010s | 4.93 | 4.78 | 5.09 | 5 |
| 2020s | 5.41 | 5.4 | 5.42 | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 40 Tajikistan 5.44 compare
- 41 Palestine 5.43 compare
- 42 Norway 5.43 compare
- 44 South Korea 5.41 compare
- 45 Dominica 5.39 compare
- 46 Burkina Faso 5.33 compare
More education data for United States
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 96.21 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 96.02 (2022)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.74 million (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 419,732 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4.34 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is education spending in United States?
- Education spending in United States was 5.42 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest education spending recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 5.5 in 1993.
- What is the lowest education spending recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 in 1960.
- How does United States rank for education spending?
- United States ranks 43rd out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is education spending rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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 — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).