Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in United States of America

United States of America: Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage was 0.9% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
0.9%
Change on year
up 5.5%
World rank
46th
of 116 countries
All-time high
0.9%
in 2021
All-time low
0.8%
in 2016
Years of data
7
2015–2021

Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in United States of America, 2015–2021

00.20.40.60.82015201820212015: 0.831 %2016: 0.83 %2017: 0.844 %2018: 0.842 %2019: 0.842 %2020: 0.85 %2021: 0.897 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in United States of America is 0.9%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

The figure is up 5.5% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.

United States of America ranks 46th of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage of GDP (%) in United States of America, 2015 to 2021.
Year % Change
2015 0.8%
2016 0.8% -0.1%
2017 0.8% +1.7%
2018 0.8% -0.3%
2019 0.8% +0.1%
2020 0.9% +0.9%
2021 0.9% +5.5%

United States of America compared with similar countries

  • United States of America's 0.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.9%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 5
2020s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 2

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 43 Poland 0.9% compare
  2. 44 Sweden 0.9% compare
  3. 45 Estonia 0.9% compare
  4. 47 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 0.9% compare
  5. 48 Niger 0.9%
  6. 49 Philippines 0.9% compare

See the full ranking of 116 places →

More education data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in United States of America?
Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in United States of America was 0.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 0.9% in 2021.
What is the lowest government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2016.
How does United States of America rank for government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage?
United States of America ranks 46th out of 116 countries with data for 2021.
Is government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States of America data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-lower-secondary-education-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-percent-2/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on lower secondary education as a percentage of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
116 places, 1,655 data points, 1997–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release