Government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries): Government expenditure on education, total was 14.7% 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 government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 14.7%. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.6% on the previous year and up 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 14.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1996.
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 17th 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 government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.0% | — |
| 1999 | 10.9% | — |
| 2000 | 11.4% | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 12.1% | +6.6% |
| 2002 | 11.9% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 11.7% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 12.3% | +5.6% |
| 2005 | 12.4% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 12.8% | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 11.3% | -11.4% |
| 2008 | 12.6% | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 11.9% | -5.9% |
| 2010 | 11.5% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 11.4% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 12.6% | +10.5% |
| 2013 | 12.1% | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 12.0% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 11.5% | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 12.2% | +6.3% |
| 2017 | 12.6% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 12.5% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 13.1% | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 11.8% | -10.0% |
| 2021 | 11.5% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 12.1% | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 14.7% | +21.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.4% | 0.0% | 10.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.0% | 11.3% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.1% | 11.4% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.5% | 11.5% | 14.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 14 Sierra Leone 20.5% compare
- 15 Mozambique 20.4% compare
- 16 Costa Rica 20.4% compare
- 17 Burkina Faso 20.3% compare
- 18 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 20.2% compare
- 19 Kiribati 20.1% compare
- 20 Kyrgyzstan 19.6% 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 14.7% 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 (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 14.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1996.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 17th 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 up 21.2%. 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 government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 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 total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.