Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Australia
Australia: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 13.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Australia, 2000–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
The most recent figure for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Australia is 13.9%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.1% on the previous year and down 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Australia peaked at 17.1% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 13.1%, in 2021.
That places Australia 42nd out of 123 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Australia, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.4% | — |
| 2001 | 15.2% | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 15.6% | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 15.6% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 15.5% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 15.8% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 15.6% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 15.1% | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 15.1% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 14.8% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 17.1% | +15.7% |
| 2011 | 17.1% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 15.4% | -10.1% |
| 2013 | 15.6% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 15.0% | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 14.9% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 14.9% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 14.8% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 15.1% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 15.3% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 14.5% | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 13.1% | -9.1% |
| 2022 | 13.9% | +6.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.3% | 14.4% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.5% | 14.8% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.8% | 13.1% | 14.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Australia?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Australia was 13.9% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.1% in 2011.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.1% in 2021.
- How does Australia rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Australia ranks 42nd out of 123 countries with data for 2022.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (IMF calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release