Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Israel
Israel: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 16.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Israel, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
Israel recorded 16.5% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.4% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Israel peaked at 18.2% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 14.6%, in 2002.
That places Israel 26th out of 123 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Israel, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15.8% | — |
| 2001 | 15.7% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 14.6% | -7.1% |
| 2003 | 15.4% | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 15.4% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 15.1% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 14.9% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 15.5% | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 15.6% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 15.6% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 16.4% | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 16.4% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 17.3% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 17.3% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 17.8% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 18.1% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 18.0% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 18.2% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 18.1% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 18.1% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 15.7% | -13.3% |
| 2021 | 16.5% | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 17.6% | +6.5% |
| 2023 | 16.5% | -6.4% |
Israel compared with similar countries
- Israel's 16.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.2%, 1.5× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Israel's 16.5% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 12.0%, 1.4× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.4% | 14.6% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.6% | 16.4% | 18.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.6% | 15.7% | 17.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Israel
- 23 Jamaica 17.7% compare
- 24 Samoa 17.1% compare
- 25 Panama 16.6% compare
- 27 Philippines 16.1% compare
- 28 Madagascar 16.0% compare
- 29 Republic of Moldova 15.9% 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 expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Israel?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Israel was 16.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Israel?
- The highest recorded value was 18.2% in 2017.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Israel?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.6% in 2002.
- How does Israel rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Israel ranks 26th out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Israel?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Israel 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.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release