Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ in United States of America

United States of America: Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ was 405,813 millions in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
405,813 millions
Change on year
down 7.4%
World rank
1st
of 146 countries
All-time high
438,077 millions
in 2020
All-time low
267,552 millions
in 2016
Years of data
7
2015–2021

Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ in United States of America, 2015–2021

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k2015201820212015: 293.0k millions2016: 267.6k millions2017: 328.3k millions2018: 294.1k millions2019: 321.4k millions2020: 438.1k millions2021: 405.8k millions

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.

Analysis

United States of America recorded 405,813 millions for government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ in 2021.

That represents a change of down 7.4% on the previous year and up 38.5% over ten years.

That places United States of America 1st out of 146 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ (millions) in United States of America, 2015 to 2021.
Year millions Change
2015 292,975 millions
2016 267,552 millions -8.7%
2017 328,343 millions +22.7%
2018 294,057 millions -10.4%
2019 321,382 millions +9.3%
2020 438,077 millions +36.3%
2021 405,813 millions -7.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 300,862 millions 267,552 millions 328,343 millions 5
2020s 421,945 millions 405,813 millions 438,077 millions 2

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 2 China 292,222 millions compare
  2. 3 India 174,281 millions compare
  3. 4 Germany 75,096 millions compare

See the full ranking of 146 places →

More education data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ in United States of America?
Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ in United States of America was 405,813 millions in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 438,077 millions in 2020.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 267,552 millions in 2016.
How does United States of America rank for government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$?
United States of America ranks 1st out of 146 countries with data for 2021.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 38.5%. 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, constant PPP$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-constant-ppp-millions-2/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
146 places, 2,483 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release