Government expenditure on education, total in OECD members
OECD members: Government expenditure on education, total was 11.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in OECD members, 1981–2022
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
OECD members recorded 11.5% for government expenditure on education, total in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in OECD members peaked at 13.0% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 1983.
OECD members ranks 40th of 46 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in OECD members, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 9.3% | — |
| 1982 | 7.7% | -17.3% |
| 1983 | 3.6% | -53.5% |
| 1985 | 9.0% | +152.9% |
| 1986 | 9.0% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 9.0% | -0.0% |
| 1988 | 10.1% | +12.1% |
| 1989 | 11.1% | +9.4% |
| 1990 | 10.3% | -7.2% |
| 1991 | 10.8% | +5.1% |
| 1992 | 9.6% | -11.5% |
| 1993 | 10.2% | +6.5% |
| 1994 | 10.9% | +7.3% |
| 1995 | 10.7% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 11.6% | +9.2% |
| 1998 | 11.7% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 12.3% | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 12.9% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 12.2% | -5.3% |
| 2002 | 12.5% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 12.8% | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 12.8% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 12.2% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 12.7% | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 12.8% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 12.5% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 12.4% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 11.9% | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 12.3% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 11.9% | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 12.5% | +5.6% |
| 2014 | 12.4% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 12.8% | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 13.0% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 12.1% | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 12.1% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 12.0% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 11.8% | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 11.5% | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 11.5% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.6% | 3.6% | 11.1% | 8 |
| 1990s | 10.9% | 9.6% | 12.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 12.6% | 12.2% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.3% | 11.9% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.6% | 11.5% | 11.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
More education data for OECD members
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 116.41 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91.38 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.2049 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0654 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 6.28 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 16.4% (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 OECD members?
- Government expenditure on education, total in OECD members was 11.5% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 13.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 1983.
- How does OECD members rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- OECD members ranks 40th out of 46 groups with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this OECD members 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.
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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.