Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in United States of America
United States of America: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
1.7%
Change on year
down 5.3%
World rank
10th
of 173 countries
All-time high
1.8%
in 2020
All-time low
1.2%
in 2016
Years of data
7
2015–2021
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in United States of America, 2015–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in United States of America is 1.7%, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of down 5.3% on the previous year and up 24.8% over ten years.
That places United States of America 10th out of 173 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1.4% | — |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -11.3% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | +20.5% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -12.6% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +6.1% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | +32.9% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | -5.3% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 1.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.9%, 1.9× the median. (67 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 5 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More education data for United States of America
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.74 million (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 419,732 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4.34 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0708 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in United States of America?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in United States of America was 1.7% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 1.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2016.
- How does United States of America rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- United States of America ranks 10th out of 173 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.8%. 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 tertiary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release