Government expenditure on education, US$ (millions) (education US) in Australia
Australia: Government expenditure on education, US$ (millions) (education US) was 85,543 millions in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Government expenditure on education, US$ in Australia, 1978–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.
Analysis
In 2022, government expenditure on education, us$ in Australia stood at 85,543 millions. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, us$ in Australia peaked at 85,543 millions in 2022 and was at its lowest, 6,622 millions, in 1978.
Australia ranks 12th of 181 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government expenditure on education, US$ (millions) (education US) in Australia, year by year
| Year | millions | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 6,622 millions | — |
| 1979 | 6,978 millions | +5.4% |
| 1980 | 7,617 millions | +9.2% |
| 1982 | 9,680 millions | +27.1% |
| 1983 | 10,409 millions | +7.5% |
| 1985 | 10,446 millions | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 9,518 millions | -8.9% |
| 1987 | 9,229 millions | -3.0% |
| 1988 | 9,299 millions | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 11,192 millions | +20.4% |
| 1990 | 13,995 millions | +25.0% |
| 1991 | 14,901 millions | +6.5% |
| 1992 | 15,265 millions | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 17,922 millions | +17.4% |
| 1994 | 16,371 millions | -8.7% |
| 2020 | 71,552 millions | +337.1% |
| 2021 | 83,147 millions | +16.2% |
| 2022 | 85,543 millions | +2.9% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 85,543 millions is above the median for high income countries, which is 5,809 millions, 14.7× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Australia's 85,543 millions is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,553 millions, 55.1× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on education, US$ (millions) (education US) in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +337.1% | 16,371 millions | 71,552 millions |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6,800 millions | 6,622 millions | 6,978 millions | 2 |
| 1980s | 9,674 millions | 7,617 millions | 11,192 millions | 8 |
| 1990s | 15,691 millions | 13,995 millions | 17,922 millions | 5 |
| 2020s | 80,080 millions | 71,552 millions | 85,543 millions | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.9 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.88 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, us$ in Australia?
- Government expenditure on education, us$ in Australia was 85,543 millions in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, us$ recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 85,543 millions in 2022.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, us$ recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,622 millions in 1978.
- How does Australia rank for government expenditure on education, us$?
- Australia ranks 12th out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on education, US$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release