Government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Government expenditure on education, total was 3.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 1999–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) stood at 3.7%.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and down 20.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) peaked at 4.7% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2002.
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 20th of 46 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 3.8% | — |
| 2000 | 3.4% | -8.9% |
| 2002 | 3.1% | -9.6% |
| 2004 | 3.3% | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 3.4% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 3.3% | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 3.4% | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 4.2% | +23.2% |
| 2011 | 4.0% | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 4.0% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 4.7% | +18.1% |
| 2014 | 4.4% | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 4.3% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 4.4% | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 3.9% | -11.3% |
| 2018 | 4.1% | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 4.4% | +8.4% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | -5.7% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | -11.3% |
| 2023 | 3.7% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.8% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 3.1% | 4.2% | 7 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 3.9% | 4.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 3.7% | 4.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
More education data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.66 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1746 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0626 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 28.09 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 906,553 (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 22.7% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.7% (2025)
All data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) was 3.7% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 4.7% in 2013.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2002.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 20th out of 46 groups with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 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.