Expenditure on secondary education in OECD members
OECD members: Expenditure on secondary education was 35.1% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on secondary education in OECD members, 1979–2016
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure on education.
Analysis
The most recent figure for expenditure on secondary education in OECD members is 35.1%, measured in 2016.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on secondary education in OECD members peaked at 41.2% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 29.2%, in 1980.
That places OECD members 10th out of 24 groups with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Expenditure on secondary education in OECD members, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure on education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 33.0% | — |
| 1980 | 29.2% | -11.7% |
| 1981 | 29.8% | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 37.1% | +24.5% |
| 1993 | 39.9% | +7.6% |
| 1994 | 39.3% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 41.1% | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 41.2% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 38.4% | -6.7% |
| 1999 | 39.4% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 40.0% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 40.1% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 39.5% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 41.0% | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 38.9% | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 39.5% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 39.6% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 38.9% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 40.6% | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 40.2% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 37.7% | -6.2% |
| 2011 | 36.4% | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 37.3% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 35.2% | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 37.5% | +6.5% |
| 2015 | 35.4% | -5.5% |
| 2016 | 35.1% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 33.0% | 33.0% | 33.0% | 1 |
| 1980s | 32.0% | 29.2% | 37.1% | 3 |
| 1990s | 39.9% | 38.4% | 41.2% | 6 |
| 2000s | 39.8% | 38.9% | 41.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.4% | 35.1% | 37.7% | 7 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
More education data for OECD members
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0654 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 16.4% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 6.28 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 116.41 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.2049 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91.38 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on secondary education in OECD members?
- Expenditure on secondary education in OECD members was 35.1% in 2016, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest expenditure on secondary education recorded in OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 41.2% in 1996.
- What is the lowest expenditure on secondary education recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.2% in 1980.
- How does OECD members rank for expenditure on secondary education?
- OECD members ranks 10th out of 24 groups with data for 2016.
- Is expenditure on secondary education rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this OECD members 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 secondary education (% of government expenditure on education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Expenditure on secondary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.