Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in United States of America
United States of America: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 4.9% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
4.9%
Change on year
down 10.0%
World rank
54th
of 185 countries
All-time high
5.5%
in 2020
All-time low
4.6%
in 2018
Years of data
7
2015–2021
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in United States of America, 2015–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in United States of America stood at 4.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.0% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
That places United States of America 54th out of 185 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 4.7% | — |
| 2016 | 4.7% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 4.9% | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 4.6% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 4.8% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 5.5% | +14.5% |
| 2021 | 4.9% | -10.0% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 4.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.1× the median. (67 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.7% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 5 |
| 2020s | 5.2% | 4.9% | 5.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 51 Syrian Arab Republic 4.9%
- 52 Chile 4.9% compare
- 53 Sierra Leone 4.9% compare
- 55 Estonia 4.9% compare
- 56 Kazakhstan 4.9% compare
- 57 Switzerland 4.9% compare
More education data for United States of America
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.74 million (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 419,732 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4.34 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4.14 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 23.83 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0708 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in United States of America?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in United States of America was 4.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 5.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 2018.
- How does United States of America rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- United States of America ranks 54th out of 185 countries with data for 2021.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America 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