Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.9% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 1.9%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.8% on the previous year and up 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 1.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1999.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 33rd of 162 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.3% | — |
| 1972 | 1.3% | -4.6% |
| 1973 | 1.3% | +6.5% |
| 1974 | 1.3% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 1.6% | +18.2% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | +14.4% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | -6.4% |
| 1980 | 1.4% | -19.2% |
| 1981 | 1.4% | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 1.2% | -13.2% |
| 1983 | 1.2% | -4.0% |
| 1984 | 1.1% | -7.2% |
| 1985 | 1.0% | -3.8% |
| 1986 | 1.1% | +4.3% |
| 1987 | 1.1% | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 1.1% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 1.1% | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 1.5% | +24.2% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -11.8% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | -23.4% |
| 1999 | 1.0% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 1.0% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | +12.3% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | +12.3% |
| 2007 | 1.5% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | +8.8% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | +10.3% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | +7.8% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 1.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.1%, 1.7× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 1.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.1%, 1.7× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 7 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 8 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 1.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1999.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 33rd out of 162 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release