Estonia: Current education expenditure, primary (% of total expenditure in primary public institutions)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 5.94 percentage points from 89.99% in 2017. Since 2001 it is down 0.33 percentage points from 84.38% in 2001. 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 2022, Estonia's current education expenditure, primary (% of total expenditure in primary public institutions) rose 0.14 percentage points on 2021 (from 83.91% to 84.05%).

Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2021), the average change was +0.34 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.66 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 7 percentage points in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.76 percentage points in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.93 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 48% of the movement over 10 observed 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, Estonia had the 34th highest value of the 35 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 Estonia in the 2022 ranking

• Turks and Caicos Islands — 31st of 35: 86.71%
• Norway — 32nd of 35: 86.45%
• Türkiye — 33rd of 35: 85.99%
• Sierra Leone — 35th of 35: 71.43%

What this measures

Current expenditure is expressed as a percentage of direct expenditure in public educational institutions (instructional and non-instructional) of the specified level of education. Financial aid to students and other transfers are excluded from direct expenditure. Current expenditure is consumed within the current year and would have to be renewed if needed in the following year. It includes staff compensation and current expenditure other than for staff compensation (ex. on teaching materials, ancillary services and administration).

Limitations: The indicator depends on comprehensive and accurate data regarding government expenditure by type and nature of spending. In some cases, data on total government expenditure on education only includes the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries that may also allocate part of their budget to educational services.

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

All 14 values

Current education expenditure, primary (% of total expenditure in primary public institutions) in nearby economies

• Andorra — 98.32% (2023)
• Austria — 89.45% (2022)
• Belgium — 95.13% (2022)
• Bulgaria — 92.69% (2022)
• Cyprus — 96.67% (2022)
• Czechia — 92.84% (2022)
• Denmark — 89.92% (2022)
• Finland

More education data for Estonia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 89,246 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2020)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 94.31% (2019)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 48.52% (2017)
• Secondary education, general pupils — 63,544 (2017)
• Secondary education, general pupils (% female)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Estonia's current education expenditure, primary (% of total expenditure in primary public institutions)?

84.05% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is down 0.33 percentage points from 84.38% in 2001. The highest value was 94.08% in 2015 and the lowest 82.39% in 2002.

How does Estonia rank?

34th highest of 35 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in current education expenditure, primary (% of total expenditure in primary public institutions) unusual for Estonia?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.CPRM.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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