Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP in Australia
Australia: Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP was 0.3% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP in Australia, 1978–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp in Australia is 0.3%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp in Australia peaked at 0.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1993.
That places Australia 76th out of 169 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 0.1% | — |
| 1979 | 0.1% | -12.4% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | -2.5% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | +10.1% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | -3.9% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | +7.0% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | -5.5% |
| 1988 | 0.1% | +5.5% |
| 1989 | 0.1% | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | +5.5% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | -7.6% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -34.6% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 0.3% | +379.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 0.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 76% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Australia's 0.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.2%, 1.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +379.8% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 73 El Salvador 0.3% compare
- 74 United States of America 0.3% compare
- 75 Belize 0.3% compare
- 77 Bhutan 0.3% compare
- 78 Dominican Republic 0.3% compare
- 79 Azerbaijan 0.3% compare
More education data for Australia
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp in Australia?
- Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp in Australia was 0.3% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 2022.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1993.
- How does Australia rank for government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Australia ranks 76th out of 169 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 pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release