Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Italy
Italy: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 4.1% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Italy, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Italy stood at 4.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Italy peaked at 4.8% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 1971.
Italy ranks 90th of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Italy, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.4% | — |
| 1971 | 2.9% | -13.9% |
| 1974 | 3.8% | +32.3% |
| 1975 | 3.7% | -3.2% |
| 1976 | 3.9% | +5.6% |
| 1978 | 3.8% | -3.6% |
| 1979 | 4.2% | +10.1% |
| 1983 | 4.5% | +7.8% |
| 1984 | 4.8% | +6.4% |
| 1985 | 4.7% | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 4.6% | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 4.6% | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 4.7% | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 4.4% | -6.3% |
| 1995 | 4.3% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 4.4% | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 4.4% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4.5% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 4.3% | -4.9% |
| 2001 | 4.6% | +8.3% |
| 2002 | 4.4% | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 4.5% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 4.4% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 4.2% | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 4.5% | +6.8% |
| 2007 | 4.1% | -9.3% |
| 2008 | 4.4% | +6.9% |
| 2009 | 4.5% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 4.3% | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 4.1% | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 4.1% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 4.1% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 4.0% | +6.0% |
| 2018 | 4.3% | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 4.1% | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 4.4% | +8.5% |
| 2021 | 4.2% | -5.0% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | -3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.7% | 2.9% | 4.2% | 7 |
| 1980s | 4.6% | 4.5% | 4.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 4.5% | 4.3% | 4.7% | 6 |
| 2000s | 4.4% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 3.8% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.2% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More education data for Italy
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 423,797 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 6,592 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 667,641 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 620,157 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.63 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.167 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0445 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Italy?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Italy was 4.1% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 4.8% in 1984.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 1971.
- How does Italy rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Italy ranks 90th out of 185 countries with data for 2022.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release