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 15 percent of state expenditure on education. The remaining three budgeted between 9 and 11.5 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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;

China Government Expenditure: Education data was reported at 387.200 RMB bn in Mar 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 580.900 RMB bn for Dec 2024. China Government Expenditure: Education data is updated monthly, averaging 192.586 RMB bn from Jan 2007 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 203 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 580.900 RMB bn in Dec 2024 and a record low of 35.740 RMB bn in Jan 2007. China Government Expenditure: Education data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Government and Public Finance – Table CN.FA: Government Revenue and Expenditure: Monthly.

Historical chart and dataset showing U.S. education spending by year from 1972 to 2020.

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.

In 2024, public spending on education in China reached *** trillion yuan. Education expenditure increased continuously over recent years, but growth rates are considerably lower than ten years ago. Development of public spending on education Since the beginning of the reform era, the Chinese government attached great importance to the development of the educational sector. Besides structural reforms, public spending on education was increased considerably. However, the whole educational sector lagged far behind international standards in terms of quality as well as quantity. Public expenditure on education as a share of the national GDP, which is a common measure to compare educational systems, ranged at only around 2.5 percent in the mid-1990s. In 1993, the government announced the plan to increase educational spending to four percent of the GDP until 2000, but it took 12 more years to reach that target. However, considering that at the same time the GDP grew by double digits most of the years, the financial situation of the education sector improved greatly. This manifests itself in the substantially increased number of graduates and quality of degrees. Since achieving the four percent target in 2012, the growth of educational spending, which had reached more than ** percent per year in the years before, was reduced to levels equaling the GDP growth. Compared to the public spending on education of developed countries, China is still at the lower range and did not reach the OECD average of around *** percent of the GDP in 2018. Spending per student Even though educational spending in China improved a lot in the last decades, when calculated per student, expenditure is still far behind developed countries. While spending per student on a tertiary level of education in OECD countries averaged around ****** U.S. dollars in 2020, it reached only ****** yuan per student in China in 2023, which is less than one third. This fact sheds some light on the average quality level of the educational system in China on a general basis and reminds us that China is a huge and populous country. Of which, some elite schools in the big cities coexist with vast numbers of schools in the countryside operating on a completely different level of quality.

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

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.

Vietnam VN: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data was reported at 5.652 % in 2013. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.533 % for 2012. Vietnam VN: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 5.012 % from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2013, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.652 % in 2013 and a record low of 4.814 % in 2011. Vietnam VN: 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 Vietnam – Table VN.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 South Asia was reported at 1.8482 % 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.

Guinea education spending for 2023 was 10.03%, a 1.92% decline from 2022.

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

<li>Guinea education spending for 2022 was <strong>11.95%</strong>, a <strong>0.45% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Guinea education spending for 2021 was <strong>11.50%</strong>, a <strong>2.79% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Guinea education spending for 2020 was <strong>14.29%</strong>, a <strong>1.88% increase</strong> from 2019.</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.

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;

Greece education spending for 2021 was 7.11%, a 0.43% decline from 2020.

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

<li>Greece education spending for 2020 was <strong>7.54%</strong>, a <strong>0.82% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>Greece education spending for 2019 was <strong>8.36%</strong>, a <strong>0.1% decline</strong> from 2018.</li>
<li>Greece education spending for 2018 was <strong>8.46%</strong>, a <strong>0.42% increase</strong> from 2017.</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.

Turkey education spending for 2022 was 8.78%, a 0.03% decline from 2021.

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

<li>Turkey education spending for 2021 was <strong>8.81%</strong>, a <strong>0.5% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Turkey education spending for 2020 was <strong>9.31%</strong>, a <strong>1.86% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>Turkey education spending for 2019 was <strong>11.17%</strong>, a <strong>0.43% 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.

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.