Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 10.6% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
In 2022, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 10.6%.
That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 14.7% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 2020.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 79th 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 13.3% | — |
| 2001 | 13.6% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 14.7% | +8.2% |
| 2003 | 14.5% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 13.9% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 13.4% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 13.8% | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 13.8% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 13.0% | -5.5% |
| 2009 | 13.1% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 13.2% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 12.7% | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 12.2% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 12.1% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 12.3% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 12.3% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 12.2% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 12.2% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 12.1% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 12.0% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 10.4% | -12.9% |
| 2021 | 11.1% | +5.9% |
| 2022 | 10.6% | -3.7% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 10.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 11.2%, 95% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 10.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.6%, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.7% | 13.0% | 14.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.3% | 12.0% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.7% | 10.4% | 11.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 10.6% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 14.7% in 2002.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 2020.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 79th out of 123 countries with data for 2022.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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