Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage was 1.2% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2005–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 1.2%, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.9% on the previous year and up 43.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 1.6% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2011.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 16th out of 122 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 1.6% | — |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -10.0% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | +6.6% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | +3.3% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | -46.3% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | +61.6% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -9.7% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -15.4% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | +6.0% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | +11.9% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 1.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.9%, 1.4× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 1.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.8%, 1.5× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +61.6% | 0.8% | 1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 5 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 0.8% | 1.5% | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More education data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 1.2% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 2005.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2011.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 16th out of 122 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on upper secondary education as a percentage of GDP (%). 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