Out of the OECD countries, Luxembourg was the country that spent the most on educational institutions per full-time student in 2020. On average, 23,000 U.S dollars were spent on primary education, nearly 27,000 U.S dollars on secondary education, and around 53,000 U.S dollars on tertiary education. The United States followed behind, with Norway in third. Meanwhile, the lowest spending was in Mexico.

In 2021, Luxembourg was the OECD country that spent the highest amount on higher education per student, reaching roughly 35,000 U.S. dollars. This was even though it was the country that spent the lowest amount in terms of share of gross domestic product. The United States followed behind, with the United Kingdom in third. On the other hand, Mexico was the OECD country in which the lowest amount was spent per full-time student in higher education.

In 2022, New York spent around 29,897 U.S. dollars per pupil on public elementary and secondary schools - the most out of any state. The District of Columbia, Vermont, New Jersey, and Massachusetts rounded out the top five states for elementary and secondary school expenditure per pupil.

This statistic shows the expenditure of different countries on primary school education per student in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) U.S. dollars. In the USA, about 10.600 U.S. dollars is spent each year per primary school student.

Israel IL: Government Expenditure per Student: Tertiary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 19.084 % in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 20.080 % for 2013. Israel IL: Government Expenditure per Student: Tertiary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 21.246 % from Dec 1998 (Median) to 2014, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 30.849 % in 1998 and a record low of 19.084 % in 2014. Israel IL: Government Expenditure per Student: Tertiary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Israel – Table IL.World Bank: Education Statistics. Government expenditure per student is the average general government expenditure (current, capital, and transfers) per student in the given level of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.; ; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; Median;

The average for 2021 based on 158 countries was 4.48 percent. The highest value was in Kiribati: 14.2 percent and the lowest value was in Nigeria: 0.38 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Nepal NP: Government Expenditure per Student: Tertiary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 25.435 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 27.810 % for 2014. Nepal NP: Government Expenditure per Student: Tertiary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 47.107 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2015, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 138.253 % in 2000 and a record low of 22.839 % in 2013. Nepal NP: Government Expenditure per Student: Tertiary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nepal – Table NP.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Government expenditure per student is the average general government expenditure (current, capital, and transfers) per student in the given level of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.; ; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; Median;

In 2021, Chile was the country that spent the highest share of its gross domestic product (GDP) on higher education, reaching 2.4 percent. Of this, 1.5 percent came from private sources. The United States followed behind with its total spending reaching 2.4 percent of its GDP. On the other hand, higher education spending in Saudi Arabia only amounted to 0.3 percent of its GDP. To find out more about the expenditure on higher education per student in selected countries worldwide, please click here.

This Cost of International Education dataset compiles detailed financial information for students pursuing higher education abroad. It covers multiple countries, cities, and universities around the world, capturing the full tuition and living expenses spectrum alongside key ancillary costs. With standardized fields such as tuition in USD, living-cost indices, rent, visa fees, insurance, and up-to-date exchange rates, it enables comparative analysis across programs, degree levels, and geographies. Whether you’re a prospective international student mapping out budgets, an educational consultant advising on affordability, or a researcher studying global education economics, this dataset offers a comprehensive foundation for data-driven insights.

Description

Potential Uses

• Budget Planning Prospective students can filter by country, program level, or university to forecast total expenses and compare across destinations.
• Policy Analysis Educational policymakers and NGOs can assess the affordability of international education and design support programs.
• Economic Research Economists can correlate living-cost indices and tuition levels with enrollment rates or student demographics.
• University Benchmarking Institutions can benchmark their fees and ancillary costs against peer universities worldwide.

Notes on Data Collection & Quality

• Currency Conversions All monetary values are unified to USD using contemporaneous exchange rates to facilitate direct comparison.
• Living Cost Index Derived from reputable city-index publications (e.g., Numbeo, Mercer) to standardize disparate cost-of-living metrics.
• Data Currency Exchange rates and fee schedules should be periodically updated to reflect market fluctuations and policy changes.

Feel free to explore, visualize, and extend this dataset for deeper insights into the true cost of studying abroad!

Finland Education Expenditure: Per Student data was reported at 8,900.000 EUR in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9,000.000 EUR for 2015. Finland Education Expenditure: Per Student data is updated yearly, averaging 6,650.000 EUR from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2016, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9,000.000 EUR in 2015 and a record low of 4,800.000 EUR in 1995. Finland Education Expenditure: Per Student data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Finland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Finland – Table FI.G005: Education Statistics.

Aruba AW: Government Expenditure per Student: Tertiary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 100.242 % in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 145.577 % for 2015. Aruba AW: Government Expenditure per Student: Tertiary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 34.784 % from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2016, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 145.577 % in 2015 and a record low of 25.538 % in 2005. Aruba AW: Government Expenditure per Student: Tertiary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Aruba – Table AW.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Government expenditure per student is the average general government expenditure (current, capital, and transfers) per student in the given level of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/). Data as of February 2020.;Median;

Nepal NP: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 11.003 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.674 % for 2014. Nepal NP: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 11.003 % from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2015, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.384 % in 2001 and a record low of 9.266 % in 2003. Nepal NP: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nepal – Table NP.World Bank: Education Statistics. Government expenditure per student is the average general government expenditure (current, capital, and transfers) per student in the given level of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.; ; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; Median;

This dataset tracks annual average expenditure per student from 1995 to 2021 for South Country Central School District

This dataset tracks annual average expenditure per student from 2014 to 2021 for Scottsdale Country Day School (91110) School District

The biennial operation Expenditure and Financing of Public Education reports on the characteristics and activities of all public institutions of regulated education, such as types of existing schools, size, levels of education provided and others such as the territorial location of the centre and the sources of funding. This information, together with that provided by the Educational Statistics operation on students of the Basque Country, allows to obtain the macromagnitudes of the public education sector for incorporation into the Economic Accounts and the Input-Output Tables of the Basque Country.

This dataset contains data on expenditure per full-time equivalent student and per full-time equivalent student as a percentage of GPD per capita. The default table displays data for 2021 in current USD PPP and as a percentage of GDP per capita, from all expenditure sources, and unfiltered by type of expenditure. The selection can be changed to display data: by year, by source of expenditure, by destination of expenditure and by type of expenditure. Please note that the filters are inter related, meaning that selection in one category may impact the possibility to select options in another category.

For more information, please consult Education at a Glance 2024 and the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications. Additional details regarding the methodology used, references to the sources, and specific notes for each country can be found in Education at a Glance 2024 Sources, Methodologies and Technical Notes.

Sweden SE: Government Expenditure per Student: Primary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 22.408 % in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 22.609 % for 2013. Sweden SE: Government Expenditure per Student: Primary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 23.125 % from Dec 1998 (Median) to 2014, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.772 % in 2009 and a record low of 20.679 % in 2001. Sweden SE: Government Expenditure per Student: Primary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.World Bank: Education Statistics. Government expenditure per student is the average general government expenditure (current, capital, and transfers) per student in the given level of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.; ; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; Median;

The biennial operation Expenditure and Financing of Public Education reports on the characteristics and activities of all public institutions of regulated education, such as types of existing schools, size, levels of education provided and others such as the territorial location of the centre and the sources of funding. This information, together with that provided by the Educational Statistics operation on students of the Basque Country, allows to obtain the macromagnitudes of the public education sector for incorporation into the Economic Accounts and the Input-Output Tables of the Basque Country.

This biennial operation reports on the economic activity of all private regulated educational establishments, taking into account an economic-functional classification of the expenditure recorded and the financing of these expenses according to their origin. Another objective is to obtain the macromagnitudes of the private education branch for incorporation into the Economic Accounts and the Input-Output Tables of the Basque Country.

Bermuda BM: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 11.929 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.552 % for 2014. Bermuda BM: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 12.552 % from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2015, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17.842 % in 2010 and a record low of 11.929 % in 2015. Bermuda BM: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Bermuda – Table BM.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. Government expenditure per student is the average general government expenditure (current, capital, and transfers) per student in the given level of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://uis.unesco.org/). Data as of February 2020.;Median;