Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ in United States

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

Latest (2021)
405,813 millions
Change on year
down 7.4%
World rank
1st
of 159 countries
All-time high
438,076 millions
in 2020
All-time low
267,551 millions
in 2016
Years of data
7
2015–2021

Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ in United States, 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 recorded 405,813 millions for government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ in 2021.

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

United States ranks 1st of 159 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ in United States, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ (millions) in United States, 2015 to 2021.
Year millions Change
2015 292,975 millions
2016 267,551 millions -8.7%
2017 328,342 millions +22.7%
2018 294,057 millions -10.4%
2019 321,382 millions +9.3%
2020 438,076 millions +36.3%
2021 405,813 millions -7.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 300,861 millions 267,551 millions 328,342 millions 5
2020s 421,944 millions 405,813 millions 438,076 millions 2

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 2 China 150,308 millions compare
  2. 3 Germany 58,968 millions compare
  3. 4 India 44,434 millions compare

See the full ranking of 159 places →

More education data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ in United States?
Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ in United States was 405,813 millions in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 438,076 millions in 2020.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 267,551 millions in 2016.
How does United States rank for government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$?
United States ranks 1st out of 159 countries with data for 2021.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ rising or falling in United States?
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 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.

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

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
159 places, 3,551 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release