Government expenditure on education, total in High income
High income: Government expenditure on education, total was 4.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in High income, 1974–2022
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on education, total in High income is 4.7%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in High income peaked at 5.1% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 1974.
That places High income 7th out of 46 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in High income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 4.2% | — |
| 1975 | 4.5% | +7.8% |
| 1976 | 4.5% | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 4.5% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 4.4% | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 4.6% | +4.1% |
| 1981 | 4.8% | +4.6% |
| 1982 | 4.9% | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 5.0% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 4.7% | -5.2% |
| 1988 | 4.5% | -6.2% |
| 1991 | 4.8% | +7.4% |
| 1992 | 4.9% | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 5.0% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 4.7% | -4.5% |
| 1995 | 4.6% | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 4.5% | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 4.4% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 4.7% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 4.7% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 4.8% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 4.7% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 4.7% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 4.9% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 4.8% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 4.8% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 4.7% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 4.8% | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 5.1% | +5.5% |
| 2010 | 5.1% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 4.9% | -4.4% |
| 2012 | 4.8% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 4.8% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 4.8% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 4.8% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 4.8% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 4.6% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 4.9% | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 4.7% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.4% | 4.2% | 4.5% | 5 |
| 1980s | 4.8% | 4.5% | 5.0% | 6 |
| 1990s | 4.7% | 4.4% | 5.0% | 8 |
| 2000s | 4.8% | 4.7% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.8% | 4.6% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 4.7% | 4.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near High income
More education data for High income
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 106.52 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 84.04 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0283 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0593 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 6.16 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 15.5% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, total in High income?
- Government expenditure on education, total in High income was 4.7% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in High income?
- The highest recorded value was 5.1% in 2010.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in High income?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 1974.
- How does High income rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- High income ranks 7th out of 46 groups with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in High income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.