Australia: Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)

Key figures

Since 1978 it is down 0.94 percentage points from 6% in 1978. The World Bank has no value for 27 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2022, Australia's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) fell 0.28 percentage points on 2021 (from 5.34% to 5.06%).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2021), the average change was −0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.28 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.82 percentage points in 1993 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.28 percentage points in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2022, Australia had the 19th highest value of the 47 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Australia in the 2022 ranking

• Germany — 16th of 47: 5.24%
• Estonia — 17th of 47: 5.21%
• Netherlands — 18th of 47: 5.18%
• Chile — 20th of 47: 4.91%
• Switzerland — 21st of 47: 4.86%
• Canada — 22nd of 47: 4.84%

What this measures

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.

Limitations: Data may refer to spending by the ministry of education only (excluding spending on educational activities by other ministries).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 18 values

Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 4.43% (2016)
• Cambodia — 2.18% (2023)
• China — 3.9% (2023)
• Fiji — 4.25% (2023)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 3.81% (2024)
• Indonesia — 1.28% (2023)
• Japan — 3.34% (2021)
• Kiribati — 16.39% (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 5.41% (2022)
• Lao PDR

More education data for Australia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 2.27 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)
• Secondary education, general pupils — 1.68 million (2017)
• Secondary education, general pupils (% female) — 49.5% (2017)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 48.67% (2017)
• School enrollment, primary (% net)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Australia's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)?

5.06% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1978?

It is down 0.94 percentage points from 6% in 1978. The highest value was 6% in 1978 and the lowest 4.67% in 1990.

How does Australia rank?

19th highest of 47 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) unusual for Australia?

In 2022, Australia's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) fell 0.28 percentage points on 2021 (from 5.34% to 5.06%). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (1979 to 2021), the average change was −0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.28 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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