Government expenditure on education, total in France

France: Government expenditure on education, total was 9.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
9.1%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
163rd
of 193 countries
All-time high
11.5%
in 1981
All-time low
9.1%
in 2021
Years of data
23
1981–2022

Government expenditure on education, total in France, 1981–2022

02.557.51012.51981200120221981: 11.5 % of government expenditure1982: 11.4 % of government expenditure1983: 10.7 % of government expenditure1984: 10.2 % of government expenditure1985: 9.8 % of government expenditure1986: 9.4 % of government expenditure1987: 9.2 % of government expenditure1988: 9.4 % of government expenditure1989: 9.3 % of government expenditure1990: 9.5 % of government expenditure1991: 9.8 % of government expenditure1992: 9.4 % of government expenditure1993: 10.2 % of government expenditure1994: 10.3 % of government expenditure1995: 10.8 % of government expenditure1996: 10.6 % of government expenditure1998: 10.6 % of government expenditure2017: 9.5 % of government expenditure2018: 9.6 % of government expenditure2019: 9.7 % of government expenditure2020: 9.2 % of government expenditure2021: 9.1 % of government expenditure2022: 9.1 % of government expenditure

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.

Analysis

France recorded 9.1% for government expenditure on education, total in 2022.

That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in France peaked at 11.5% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 9.1%, in 2021.

That places France 163rd out of 193 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Government expenditure on education, total in France, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) in France, 1981 to 2022.
Year % of government expenditure Change
1981 11.5%
1982 11.4% -1.0%
1983 10.7% -5.8%
1984 10.2% -5.1%
1985 9.8% -3.6%
1986 9.4% -3.7%
1987 9.2% -2.9%
1988 9.4% +2.3%
1989 9.3% -0.8%
1990 9.5% +1.6%
1991 9.8% +3.8%
1992 9.4% -4.4%
1993 10.2% +9.1%
1994 10.3% +1.1%
1995 10.8% +4.0%
1996 10.6% -1.5%
1998 10.6% -0.1%
2017 9.5% -10.4%
2018 9.6% +1.6%
2019 9.7% +0.7%
2020 9.2% -5.4%
2021 9.1% -0.7%
2022 9.1% +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 10.1% 9.2% 11.5% 9
1990s 10.1% 9.4% 10.8% 8
2010s 9.6% 9.5% 9.7% 3
2020s 9.1% 9.1% 9.2% 3

Countries ranked near France

  1. 160 Qatar 9.3% compare
  2. 161 Guinea 9.2% compare
  3. 162 Palau 9.1% compare
  4. 164 Romania 8.8% compare
  5. 165 Armenia 8.7% compare
  6. 166 North Macedonia 8.6% compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More education data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on education, total in France?
Government expenditure on education, total in France was 9.1% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 11.5% in 1981.
What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 9.1% in 2021.
How does France rank for government expenditure on education, total?
France ranks 163rd out of 193 countries with data for 2022.
Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this France 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 — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Government expenditure on education, total in France. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-education-total-percent-of-government-expenditure/france/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-education-total-percent-of-government-expenditure/france/">Government expenditure on education, total in France</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure)
Unit
% of government expenditure
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
239 places, 5,722 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

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.