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 ****** 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.

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;

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.

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;

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.

Ghana GH: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 26.166 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 24.262 % for 2013. Ghana GH: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 26.080 % from Dec 2001 (Median) to 2014, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 39.902 % in 2001 and a record low of 22.955 % in 2007. Ghana GH: 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 Ghana – Table GH.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;

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.

The biannual operation Public Education Expenditure and Finance gives information on the characteristics and activity of all the public centres of regulated education, such as existing types of centre, size, education levels taught and others such as the territorial location of the centre and the sources of funding. This information, along with that provided by the Education Statistics operation on students of the Basque Country, lets us obtain macro-figures of the public education sector in order to incorporate them into the Economic accounts and Input-Output Tables of the Basque Country.

France Average Expenditure per Pupil: 2023p: Education: All Levels data was reported at 13,060.000 EUR in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 13,220.000 EUR for 2022. France Average Expenditure per Pupil: 2023p: Education: All Levels data is updated yearly, averaging 12,495.000 EUR from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2023, with 44 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14,180.000 EUR in 2009 and a record low of 9,680.000 EUR in 1980. France Average Expenditure per Pupil: 2023p: Education: All Levels data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.G076: Education: Average Expenditure per Pupil: Chain Linked: 2023 Prices.

This biannual operation gives information on the economic activity of all the private centres of regulated education, following an economic-functional classification of registered expenditure and the finance of this expenditure according to its origin. Another objective is to obtain the macro-figures for the branch of private education for its incorporation into the Economic accounts and Input-Output Tables of the Basque Country.

In 2021, the Italian government invested almost 8,000 euros per primary school pupil, and around 7,400 euros per high school and university student. However, figures were considerably below the European average. In particular, compared to other EU countries, Italy spent 1,700 euros less per lower secondary school pupil and 1,000 euros less per upper secondary school student. The largest gap was recorded with tertiary education spending. Public investments per Italian university student were 4,000 euros below the European mean.

France Average Expenditure per Pupil: 2023p: Education: Primary data was reported at 10,470.000 EUR in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 10,450.000 EUR for 2022. France Average Expenditure per Pupil: 2023p: Education: Primary data is updated yearly, averaging 9,180.000 EUR from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2023, with 44 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10,470.000 EUR in 2023 and a record low of 5,440.000 EUR in 1980. France Average Expenditure per Pupil: 2023p: Education: Primary data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.G076: Education: Average Expenditure per Pupil: Chain Linked: 2023 Prices.

France Average Expenditure per Pupil: 2023p: Education: Secondary data was reported at 8,450.000 EUR in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 8,340.000 EUR for 2022. France Average Expenditure per Pupil: 2023p: Education: Secondary data is updated yearly, averaging 6,480.000 EUR from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2023, with 44 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8,450.000 EUR in 2023 and a record low of 3,750.000 EUR in 1980. France Average Expenditure per Pupil: 2023p: Education: Secondary data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.G076: Education: Average Expenditure per Pupil: Chain Linked: 2023 Prices.

Pakistan PK: Government Expenditure per Student: Primary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 9.564 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 7.693 % for 2015. Pakistan PK: Government Expenditure per Student: Primary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 8.045 % from Dec 2013 (Median) to 2016, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.564 % in 2016 and a record low of 7.693 % in 2015. Pakistan PK: 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 Pakistan – Table PK.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;

In 2020, the government expenditure per tertiary student in Hong Kong was just over 28 thousand U.S. dollars. Comparatively, the government expenditure per tertiary student in Bangladesh was just under 906 U.S. dollars in 2020.

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.

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;

The expenditure per pupil in primary schools in Sweden have increased steadily since 2010. In 2010, expenditures per pupil amounted to 85,500 Swedish kronor, whereas this had increased to over 125,000 kronor in 2022. The increased expenditures are reflected by the total expenditure on primary education in Sweden. In 2022, total expenditures on primary education amounted to 139 billion Swedish kronor.

Decreasing number of schools and increasing number of pupils

The primary schools in Sweden are administered individually by each of the 290 municipalities in the country. Since 2012, the number of primary schools decreased. In contrast, the number of pupils attending primary school increased constantly since the schoolyear 2010/11, reaching over 1.1 million in the school year 2022/23.

  Increasing number of pupils per primary school

Not surprisingly, the decrease in number of schools and the increase in number of pupils led to an annual increase in the average number of pupils per primary school in Sweden. In 2023, there were 236 pupils per primary school registered in the country.