Germany: Government expenditure per student, primary (% of GDP per capita)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2016, Germany's government expenditure per student, primary (% of GDP per capita) fell 0.07 percentage points on 2015 (from 17.51% to 17.44%).

Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2015), the average change was +0.21 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.79 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 2.09 percentage points in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.61 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.24 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 55% 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 20th highest value of the 31 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

• Lithuania — 16th of 31: 19.5%
• Australia — 17th of 31: 19.3%
• Hungary — 18th of 31: 19.06%
• France — 20th of 31: 17.36%
• Spain — 21st of 31: 17.12%
• Togo — 22nd of 31: 16.16%

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 12 values

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

• Andorra — 12.31% (2018)
• Austria — 23.48% (2016)
• Cyprus — 31.88% (2016)
• Czechia — 13.87% (2016)
• Estonia — 20.29% (2016)
• Finland — 21.51% (2016)
• France — 17.36% (2016)
• Hungary — 19.06% (2016)
• Iceland — 22.1% (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

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Questions people ask

What is Germany's government expenditure per student, primary (% of GDP per capita)?

17.44% in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is up 0.95 percentage points from 16.49% in 1998. The highest value was 17.67% in 2014 and the lowest 15.1% in 2008.

How does Germany rank?

20th highest of 31 economies with data for 2016.

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

In 2016, Germany's government expenditure per student, primary (% of GDP per capita) fell 0.07 percentage points on 2015 (from 17.51% to 17.44%). Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2015), the average change was +0.21 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.79 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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.PRIM.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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