Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Germany
Germany: Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation was 70.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Germany, 1998–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Germany recorded 70.2% for share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Germany peaked at 76.8% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 70.2%, in 2022.
Germany ranks 63rd of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Germany, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 76.8% | — |
| 2008 | 72.6% | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 71.1% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 71.5% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 72.9% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 72.6% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 72.8% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 73.1% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 73.2% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 73.3% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 72.5% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 71.9% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 71.8% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 70.7% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 70.2% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.8% | 76.8% | 76.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 72.6% | 72.6% | 72.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 72.5% | 71.1% | 73.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.9% | 70.2% | 71.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 60 South Africa 70.7% compare
- 61 Côte d'Ivoire 70.5% compare
- 62 Poland 70.3% compare
- 64 Slovenia 69.6% compare
- 65 United States of America 69.6% compare
- 66 Benin 69.5% compare
More education data for Germany
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 618,670 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,242 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.35 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.27 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.97 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.31 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.83 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0396 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Germany?
- Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation in Germany was 70.2% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 76.8% in 1998.
- What is the lowest share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.2% in 2022.
- How does Germany rank for share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation?
- Germany ranks 63rd out of 116 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Compensation for staff across all levels of education, both teaching and non-teaching, covers salaries, retirement contributions by employers, and additional benefits.