Germany: Expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2016, Germany's expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) fell 0.01 percentage points on 2015 (from 12.93% to 12.92%).

Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2015), the average change was −0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.29 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 0.14 percentage points in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.71 percentage points in 2007. 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.12 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 77% 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 2016, Germany had the 35th highest value of the 37 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 Germany in the 2016 ranking

• Austria — 32nd of 37: 16.6%
• Hungary — 33rd of 37: 16.22%
• Czechia — 34th of 37: 13.24%
• Monaco — 36th of 37: 12.7%
• Romania — 37th of 37: 12.5%

What this measures

Expenditure on primary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

Limitations: Data disaggregated by level of education are estimates in some instances. It is often difficult to separate lower from upper secondary education expenditure, or pre-primary from primary.

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

All 13 values

Expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) in nearby economies

• Andorra — 21.42% (2018)
• Austria — 16.6% (2016)
• Belgium — 23.81% (2016)
• Cyprus — 32.75% (2016)
• Czechia — 13.24% (2016)
• Estonia — 24.97% (2016)
• Finland — 20.51% (2016)
• Hungary — 16.22% (2016)

More education data for Germany

• 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) — 9 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 3.31 million (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 6.97 million (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 283,851 (2024)
• Secondary education, teachers — 618,670 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) — 5.13% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 87.33% (2024)

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 Germany's expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education)?

12.92% in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1993?

It is up 11.66 percentage points from 1.26% in 1993. The highest value was 17.45% in 1998 and the lowest 1.26% in 1993.

How does Germany rank?

35th highest of 37 economies with data for 2016.

Is the latest change in expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) unusual for Germany?

In 2016, Germany's expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) fell 0.01 percentage points on 2015 (from 12.93% to 12.92%). Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2015), the average change was −0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.29 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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.PRIM.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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.