Government expenditure on education, total in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Government expenditure on education, total was 3.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on education, total in East Asia & Pacific, 1980–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on education, total in East Asia & Pacific stood at 3.5%.
That represents a change of up 21.7% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 3.9% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 2022.
That places East Asia & Pacific 26th out of 46 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in East Asia & Pacific, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.0% | — |
| 1982 | 3.9% | +30.7% |
| 2002 | 3.6% | -6.8% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 3.2% | -10.2% |
| 2008 | 3.3% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 3.9% | +18.2% |
| 2010 | 3.5% | -9.1% |
| 2011 | 3.5% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3.5% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 3.9% | +12.3% |
| 2014 | 3.5% | -10.2% |
| 2015 | 3.5% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 3.2% | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | +7.2% |
| 2021 | 3.0% | -9.8% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | +21.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.4% | 3.0% | 3.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | 3.2% | 3.9% | 5 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 2.9% | 3.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
More education data for East Asia & Pacific
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 174.05 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 191.34 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4731 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0801 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.6% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 68.5% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 10.94 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, total in East Asia & Pacific?
- Government expenditure on education, total in East Asia & Pacific was 3.5% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 2013.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 2022.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 26th out of 46 groups with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.