Expenditure on tertiary education in Australia
Australia: Expenditure on tertiary education was 26.8% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on tertiary education in Australia, 1978–2016
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure on education.
Analysis
Australia recorded 26.8% for expenditure on tertiary education in 2016.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.0% on the previous year and up 22.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on tertiary education in Australia peaked at 33.5% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 21.7%, in 1982.
That places Australia 32nd out of 160 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Expenditure on tertiary education in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure on education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 24.8% | — |
| 1979 | 24.0% | -2.9% |
| 1980 | 23.2% | -3.6% |
| 1982 | 21.7% | -6.4% |
| 1983 | 31.7% | +46.0% |
| 1985 | 31.6% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 32.3% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 31.6% | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 33.5% | +5.8% |
| 1989 | 32.6% | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 33.4% | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 32.6% | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 31.9% | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 26.6% | -16.6% |
| 1994 | 28.9% | +8.6% |
| 1995 | 27.6% | -4.4% |
| 1996 | 29.6% | +7.4% |
| 2000 | 23.4% | -20.9% |
| 2005 | 22.2% | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 22.0% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 22.5% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 22.5% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 22.1% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 22.3% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 23.2% | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 23.7% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 25.9% | +9.6% |
| 2014 | 26.5% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 28.9% | +8.7% |
| 2016 | 26.8% | -7.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 24.4% | 24.0% | 24.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 29.8% | 21.7% | 33.5% | 8 |
| 1990s | 30.1% | 26.6% | 33.4% | 7 |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 22.0% | 23.4% | 6 |
| 2010s | 25.3% | 22.3% | 28.9% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on tertiary education in Australia?
- Expenditure on tertiary education in Australia was 26.8% in 2016, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest expenditure on tertiary education recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 33.5% in 1988.
- What is the lowest expenditure on tertiary education recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.7% in 1982.
- How does Australia rank for expenditure on tertiary education?
- Australia ranks 32nd out of 160 countries with data for 2016.
- Is expenditure on tertiary education rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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 tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Expenditure on tertiary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.