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

Key figures

Since 1980 it is up 12.64 percentage points from 0% in 1980. 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 government expenditure) rose 0.53 percentage points on 2021 (from 12.11% to 12.64%).

Across the 11 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2021), the average change was +1.29 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.02 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 13.25 percentage points in 1988 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.86 percentage points in 1992. 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 18th highest value of the 44 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

• Ghana — 14th of 44: 13.18%
• Estonia — 15th of 44: 13.03%
• Brazil — 16th of 44: 12.93%
• Malta — 18th of 44: 12.5%
• Cyprus — 19th of 44: 12.48%
• Macao SAR, China — 20th of 44: 12.27%

What this measures

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.

Limitations: Data on government expenditure on education may refer to spending by the ministry of education only (excluding spending on educational activities by other ministries). In addition, definitions and methods of data on total general government expenditure may differ across countries.

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

All 16 values

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

• Brunei Darussalam — 11.44% (2016)
• Cambodia — 11.55% (2025)
• China — 11.91% (2023)
• Fiji — 13.79% (2025)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 15.74% (2024)
• Indonesia — 10.56% (2025)
• Kiribati — 20.12% (2024)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 14.63% (2025)

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

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

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

12.64% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1980?

It is up 12.64 percentage points from 0% in 1980. The highest value was 15.02% in 1993 and the lowest 0% in 1980.

How does Australia rank?

18th highest of 44 economies with data for 2022.

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

In 2022, Australia's government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) rose 0.53 percentage points on 2021 (from 12.11% to 12.64%). Across the 11 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2021), the average change was +1.29 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.02 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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.GB.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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