Expenditure on primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Expenditure on primary education was 32.3% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1971–2016
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure on education.
Analysis
In 2016, expenditure on primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 32.3%. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 32.3% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 22.1%, in 1984.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 74th out of 149 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Expenditure on primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure on education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 26.3% | — |
| 1972 | 24.5% | -6.9% |
| 1973 | 24.7% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 24.9% | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 25.3% | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 28.2% | +11.6% |
| 1977 | 28.0% | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 27.1% | -3.4% |
| 1981 | 26.5% | -2.2% |
| 1982 | 23.4% | -11.5% |
| 1983 | 23.0% | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 22.1% | -4.1% |
| 1985 | 22.6% | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 24.8% | +9.3% |
| 1987 | 25.8% | +4.1% |
| 1988 | 26.3% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 26.7% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 26.7% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 27.3% | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 27.3% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 30.3% | +11.0% |
| 1995 | 30.4% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 29.7% | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 23.6% | -20.3% |
| 1999 | 24.4% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 24.7% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 25.0% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 23.6% | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 25.5% | +7.8% |
| 2004 | 26.2% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 26.5% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 29.4% | +11.3% |
| 2007 | 30.6% | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 31.6% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 31.1% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 30.1% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 30.8% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 29.8% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 28.9% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 32.2% | +11.2% |
| 2016 | 32.3% | +0.5% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 32.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 26.1%, 1.2× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 32.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 24.1%, 1.3× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 26.0% | 24.5% | 28.2% | 7 |
| 1980s | 24.8% | 22.1% | 27.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.5% | 23.6% | 30.4% | 8 |
| 2000s | 27.4% | 23.6% | 31.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.7% | 28.9% | 32.3% | 6 |
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 primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Expenditure on primary education in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 32.3% in 2016, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest expenditure on primary education recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 32.3% in 2016.
- What is the lowest expenditure on primary education recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.1% in 1984.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for expenditure on primary education?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 74th out of 149 countries with data for 2016.
- Is expenditure on primary education rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Expenditure on primary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.