Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ (millions) (US) in Australia
Australia: Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ (millions) (US) was 17,308 millions in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ in Australia, 1978–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ in Australia is 17,308 millions, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ in Australia peaked at 17,308 millions in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1,639 millions, in 1978.
That places Australia 11th out of 164 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ (millions) (US) in Australia, year by year
| Year | millions | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 1,639 millions | — |
| 1979 | 1,677 millions | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 1,765 millions | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 2,100 millions | +19.0% |
| 1983 | 3,297 millions | +57.0% |
| 1985 | 3,298 millions | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3,074 millions | -6.8% |
| 1987 | 2,920 millions | -5.0% |
| 1988 | 3,112 millions | +6.6% |
| 1989 | 3,653 millions | +17.4% |
| 1990 | 4,677 millions | +28.0% |
| 1991 | 4,865 millions | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 4,865 millions | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 4,764 millions | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 4,726 millions | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 17,308 millions | +266.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 17,308 millions is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,777 millions, 9.7× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Australia's 17,308 millions is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,452 millions, 11.9× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ (millions) (US) 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 | +266.2% | 4,726 millions | 17,308 millions |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1,658 millions | 1,639 millions | 1,677 millions | 2 |
| 1980s | 2,903 millions | 1,765 millions | 3,653 millions | 8 |
| 1990s | 4,780 millions | 4,677 millions | 4,865 millions | 5 |
| 2020s | 17,308 millions | 17,308 millions | 17,308 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, us$ in Australia?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ in Australia was 17,308 millions in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 17,308 millions in 2022.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,639 millions in 1978.
- How does Australia rank for government expenditure on tertiary education, us$?
- Australia ranks 11th out of 164 countries with data for 2022.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ (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