Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ (millions) in Australia
Australia: Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ (millions) was 17,100 millions in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ in Australia, 1978–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.
Analysis
In 2022, government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ in Australia stood at 17,100 millions. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ in Australia peaked at 17,100 millions in 2022 and was at its lowest, 5,899 millions, in 1982.
Australia ranks 11th of 159 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ (millions) in Australia, year by year
| Year | millions | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 6,602 millions | — |
| 1979 | 6,348 millions | -3.9% |
| 1980 | 6,106 millions | -3.8% |
| 1982 | 5,899 millions | -3.4% |
| 1983 | 8,723 millions | +47.9% |
| 1985 | 8,948 millions | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 9,405 millions | +5.1% |
| 1987 | 9,197 millions | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 9,679 millions | +5.2% |
| 1989 | 9,642 millions | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 10,098 millions | +4.7% |
| 1991 | 10,476 millions | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 9,971 millions | -4.8% |
| 1993 | 9,819 millions | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 10,569 millions | +7.6% |
| 2022 | 17,100 millions | +61.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 17,100 millions is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,290 millions, 7.5× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Australia's 17,100 millions is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,635 millions, 10.5× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ (millions) 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 | +61.8% | 10,569 millions | 17,100 millions |
| 1983 | +47.9% | 5,899 millions | 8,723 millions |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6,475 millions | 6,348 millions | 6,602 millions | 2 |
| 1980s | 8,450 millions | 5,899 millions | 9,679 millions | 8 |
| 1990s | 10,187 millions | 9,819 millions | 10,569 millions | 5 |
| 2020s | 17,100 millions | 17,100 millions | 17,100 millions | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More education data for Australia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.9 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.88 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ in Australia?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ in Australia was 17,100 millions in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 17,100 millions in 2022.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,899 millions in 1982.
- How does Australia rank for government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$?
- Australia ranks 11th out of 159 countries with data for 2022.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ (millions). 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