Austria: Government expenditure per student, tertiary (% of GDP per capita)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 4.74 percentage points from 31.5% in 2011. Since 1998 it is down 15.37 percentage points from 51.6% in 1998. The World Bank has no value for 8 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2016, Austria's government expenditure per student, tertiary (% of GDP per capita) rose 0.25 percentage points on 2015 (from 35.98% to 36.24%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2015), the average change was −0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.54 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 5.57 percentage points in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.78 percentage points in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2007 to 2016 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2016, Austria had the 8th highest value of the 30 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 Austria in the 2016 ranking

• United Kingdom — 5th of 30: 37.99%
• Switzerland — 6th of 30: 37.41%
• Estonia — 7th of 30: 36.92%
• Türkiye — 9th of 30: 35.28%
• Finland — 10th of 30: 33.93%
• France — 11th of 30: 31.62%

What this measures

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.

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

All 11 values

Government expenditure per student, tertiary (% of GDP per capita) in nearby economies

• Andorra — 22.29% (2018)
• Armenia — 9.88% (2017)
• Belarus — 17.92% (2017)
• Cyprus — 26.52% (2016)
• Czechia — 20.34% (2016)
• Estonia — 36.92% (2016)
• Finland — 33.93% (2016)
• France — 31.62% (2016)
• Hungary

More education data for Austria

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 4 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 10 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 8 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 368,502 (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 35,752 (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 91.39% (2024)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 5.28% (2022)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.99 (2020)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross)

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 Austria's government expenditure per student, tertiary (% of GDP per capita)?

36.24% in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is down 15.37 percentage points from 51.6% in 1998. The highest value was 51.6% in 1998 and the lowest 31.5% in 2011.

How does Austria rank?

8th highest of 30 economies with data for 2016.

Is the latest change in government expenditure per student, tertiary (% of GDP per capita) unusual for Austria?

In 2016, Austria's government expenditure per student, tertiary (% of GDP per capita) rose 0.25 percentage points on 2015 (from 35.98% to 36.24%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2015), the average change was −0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.54 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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.TERT.PC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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