Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in United States of America
United States of America: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 5.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
5.4%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
43rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
5.4%
in 2021
All-time low
4.8%
in 2016
Years of data
7
2015–2021
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in United States of America, 2015–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in United States of America is 5.4%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.
That places United States of America 43rd out of 199 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 4.9% | — |
| 2016 | 4.8% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 5.1% | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 5.0% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | +0.5% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 5.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.2× the median. (72 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.8% | 5.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 40 Tajikistan 5.4% compare
- 41 Palestine, State of 5.4% compare
- 42 Norway 5.4% compare
- 44 Korea 5.4% compare
- 45 Dominica 5.4% compare
- 46 Burkina Faso 5.3% 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 government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in United States of America?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in United States of America was 5.4% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 2016.
- How does United States of America rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- United States of America ranks 43rd out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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