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.

World education spending for 2022 was 13.83%, a 1.05% increase from 2021.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>World education spending for 2021 was <strong>12.78%</strong>, a <strong>0.07% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>World education spending for 2020 was <strong>12.85%</strong>, a <strong>0.98% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>World education spending for 2019 was <strong>13.83%</strong>, a <strong>0.66% decline</strong> from 2018.</li>
</ul>General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

Global Government Expenditures on Education by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Education spending among countries in Europe ranged from *** percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in Iceland to *** percent of GDP in Ireland. As an overall average among member states of the European Union, the amount spent on education in Europe overall was *** percent of GDP in 2022.

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.

The average for 2022 based on 113 countries was 13.94 percent. The highest value was in Sierra Leone: 29.37 percent and the lowest value was in Nigeria: 4.3 percent. The indicator is available from 1972 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2019, global education expenditure amounted to approximately five trillion U.S. dollars, with the vast majority of this spending being from governments, or from development assistance. Private households spent around 900 billion dollars in 2019.

Countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council vary significantly in size, population, and available budget. In 2023, three of the six GCC countries budgeted more than ** percent of state expenditure on education. The remaining three budgeted between * and **** percent each. GCC investment in education Investment in education has become a key priority for GCC countries in recent years. Countries like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates even have campuses of American universities like Northwestern, NYU, and Michigan State. In 2021, all countries in the council saw an increase in the share of student enrollment, with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait recording only a marginal increase and the UAE topping the list with the biggest jump. Despite rising student enrollment, the average student-to-teacher ratio in the region remains low. Budget expenditure in the GCC Budget allocation for education comprised a significant share of the expenditure in most GCC countries. Saudi Arabia, which has the overwhelming share of schools in the GCC, dedicated the most significant portion of its budget to the education sector. Four out of the six countries spent a noticeably smaller portion of their expenditure on healthcare during the same period.

South Africa education spending for 2022 was 18.65%, a 0.28% decline from 2021.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>South Africa education spending for 2021 was <strong>18.93%</strong>, a <strong>0.28% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>South Africa education spending for 2020 was <strong>18.65%</strong>, a <strong>0.05% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>South Africa education spending for 2019 was <strong>18.69%</strong>, a <strong>1.6% decline</strong> from 2018.</li>
</ul>General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

The average for 2021 based on 35 countries was 3.9 percent. The highest value was in Kuwait: 7.76 percent and the lowest value was in Indonesia: 1.03 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Korea Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data was reported at 5.065 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.057 % for 2014. Korea Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 3.677 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2015, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.377 % in 1982 and a record low of 2.097 % in 1975. Korea Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Korea – Table KR.World Bank: Education Statistics. General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.; ; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; Median;

Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in Brazil was reported at 5.497 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Brazil - Public spending on education, total (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Indonesia education spending for 2022 was 13.93%, a 2.14% decline from 2021.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Indonesia education spending for 2021 was <strong>16.07%</strong>, a <strong>1.88% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Indonesia education spending for 2020 was <strong>17.94%</strong>, a <strong>0.61% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>Indonesia education spending for 2019 was <strong>17.34%</strong>, a <strong>0.54% increase</strong> from 2018.</li>
</ul>General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

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.

Saudi Arabia SA: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of Government Expenditure data was reported at 19.257 % in 2008. This records a decrease from the previous number of 21.604 % for 2006. Saudi Arabia SA: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of Government Expenditure data is updated yearly, averaging 19.257 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2008, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 23.982 % in 1998 and a record low of 12.296 % in 1997. Saudi Arabia SA: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of Government Expenditure data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Saudi Arabia – Table SA.World Bank: Education Statistics. General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.; ; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; Median;

Ecuador education spending for 2022 was 9.27%, a 0.49% decline from 2021.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Ecuador education spending for 2021 was <strong>9.76%</strong>, a <strong>0.83% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Ecuador education spending for 2020 was <strong>10.59%</strong>, a <strong>0.09% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>Ecuador education spending for 2019 was <strong>10.67%</strong>, a <strong>3.87% decline</strong> from 2018.</li>
</ul>General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

Global Primary Education Expenditure by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

The average for 2021 based on 42 countries was 4.3 percent. The highest value was in Namibia: 10.39 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.

Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in South Asia was reported at 1.8278 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Asia - Public spending on education, total (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Cuba CU: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data was reported at 9.386 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 9.047 % for 2019. Cuba CU: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 9.222 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2021, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.059 % in 2008 and a record low of 5.619 % in 1994. Cuba CU: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Cuba – Table CU.World Bank.WDI: Social: Education Statistics. General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.;UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). UIS.Stat Bulk Data Download Service. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://apiportal.uis.unesco.org/bdds.;Median;