Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita in United States of America

United States of America: Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita was 19.9% in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
19.9%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
33rd
of 122 countries
All-time high
22.1%
in 2010
All-time low
19.7%
in 2013
Years of data
7
2010–2016

Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita in United States of America, 2010–2016

051015202010201320162010: 22.1 % of GDP per capita2011: 20.9 % of GDP per capita2012: 20.5 % of GDP per capita2013: 19.7 % of GDP per capita2014: 19.8 % of GDP per capita2015: 19.8 % of GDP per capita2016: 19.9 % of GDP per capita

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP per capita.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita in United States of America is 19.9%, measured in 2016.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.

United States of America ranks 33rd of 122 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita in United States of America, 2010 to 2016.
Year % of GDP per capita Change
2010 22.1%
2011 20.9% -5.4%
2012 20.5% -1.6%
2013 19.7% -3.9%
2014 19.8% +0.4%
2015 19.8% -0.1%
2016 19.9% +0.5%

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 30 New Zealand 20.3% compare
  2. 31 Estonia 20.3% compare
  3. 32 Brazil 20.1% compare
  4. 34 Luxembourg 19.7% compare
  5. 35 Italy 19.5% compare
  6. 36 Morocco 19.5%

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More education data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita in United States of America?
Share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita in United States of America was 19.9% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 22.1% in 2010.
What is the lowest share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 19.7% in 2013.
How does United States of America rank for share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita?
United States of America ranks 33rd out of 122 countries with data for 2016.
Is share of gdp per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United States of America data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-per-primary-student-vs-gdp-per-capita/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of GDP per capita spent by the government on each primary school student vs. GDP per capita
Unit
% of GDP per capita
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
122 places, 1,482 data points, 1995–2018
Last refreshed

GDP per capita data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.