Government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries): Government expenditure on education, total was 3.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), 1996–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 3.9% for government expenditure on education, total in 2023.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 4.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2000.
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 14th of 46 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 3.5% | — |
| 1999 | 3.9% | +10.8% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | -14.4% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 3.7% | +8.6% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 3.6% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 3.9% | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 4.0% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 4.1% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 4.3% | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 4.0% | -6.7% |
| 2011 | 3.9% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 3.8% | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 4.3% | +12.9% |
| 2014 | 4.2% | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 3.9% | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 4.1% | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 4.1% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 4.1% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 4.4% | +10.4% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | -6.7% |
| 2022 | 3.9% | -5.1% |
| 2023 | 3.9% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.3% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 3.8% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.1% | 3.9% | 4.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 11 Mauritania 7.6% compare
- 12 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 7.5% compare
- 13 Sweden 7.3% compare
- 14 Iceland 7.3% compare
- 15 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 6.9% compare
- 16 Kyrgyzstan 6.8% compare
- 17 Tunisia 6.7% compare
More education data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0567 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 26.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.105 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 44.41 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 1.45 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 19.8% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) was 3.9% 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 (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2000.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 14th out of 46 groups with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.