Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in United States of America
United States of America: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 11.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
11.3%
Change on year
down 7.1%
World rank
128th
of 197 countries
All-time high
13.9%
in 2017
All-time low
11.3%
in 2021
Years of data
7
2015–2021
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in United States of America, 2015–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
In 2021, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in United States of America stood at 11.3%. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.1% on the previous year and down 16.6% over ten years.
That places United States of America 128th out of 197 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in United States of America, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 13.5% | — |
| 2016 | 13.2% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 13.9% | +5.4% |
| 2018 | 13.1% | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 13.3% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 12.2% | -8.4% |
| 2021 | 11.3% | -7.1% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 11.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 11.8%, 96% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 13.4% | 13.1% | 13.9% | 5 |
| 2020s | 11.7% | 11.3% | 12.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 125 Brunei Darussalam 11.4%
- 126 Marshall Islands 11.3% compare
- 127 Türkiye 11.3% compare
- 129 Slovenia 11.1% compare
- 130 Nicaragua 11.0% compare
- 131 Saint Kitts and Nevis 11.0% compare
More education data for United States of America
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0708 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in United States of America?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in United States of America was 11.3% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 13.9% in 2017.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 2021.
- How does United States of America rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- United States of America ranks 128th out of 197 countries with data for 2021.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America 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 (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release