Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of in United States of America
United States of America: Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of was 6.1% in 2021. ▬ Flat
Latest (2021)
6.1%
Change on year
down 12.1%
World rank
26th
of 70 countries
All-time high
6.9%
in 2020
All-time low
6.1%
in 2021
Years of data
7
2015–2021
Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of in United States of America, 2015–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
United States of America recorded 6.1% for expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.1% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
That places United States of America 26th out of 70 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 6.3% | — |
| 2016 | 6.2% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 6.4% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 6.1% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 6.2% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 6.9% | +11.1% |
| 2021 | 6.1% | -12.1% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 6.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.9%, 1.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6.3% | 6.1% | 6.4% | 5 |
| 2020s | 6.5% | 6.1% | 6.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 23 Malta 6.3% compare
- 24 Nicaragua 6.2%
- 25 Netherlands 6.2% compare
- 27 Portugal 6.0% compare
- 28 New Zealand 6.0% compare
- 29 Kyrgyzstan 6.0% 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 (public, households, oda) as a percentage of in United States of America?
- Expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of in United States of America was 6.1% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 6.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.1% in 2021.
- How does United States of America rank for expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of?
- United States of America ranks 26th out of 70 countries with data for 2021.
- Is expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release