North America's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) was 4.84% in 2022, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 0.18 percentage points from 5.03% in 2017.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 4.84% | 2022 |
| Five years earlier | 5.03% | 2017 |
| Highest | 7.68% | 1971 |
| Lowest | 4.59% | 2013 |
| Average since 2013 | 4.89% | 2013–2022 |
| First recorded | 7.68% | 1971 |
Over five years it is down 0.18 percentage points from 5.03% in 2017. Since 1971 it is down 2.84 percentage points from 7.68% in 1971. The World Bank has no value for 6 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.
What the numbers say
In 2022, North America's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) fell 0.24 percentage points on 2021 (from 5.08% to 4.84%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2021), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.38 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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 0.93 percentage points in 1993 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.02 percentage points in 1994. 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 upward, about 0.03 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 42% 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
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 4.84% | 2022 |
| World | 3.57% | 2023 |
What this measures
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.
Limitations: Data may refer to spending by the ministry of education only (excluding spending on educational activities by other ministries).
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.
All 46 values
| Year | Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 4.84 |
| 2021 | 5.08 |
| 2020 | 5.14 |
| 2019 | 4.87 |
| 2018 | 4.89 |
| 2017 | 5.03 |
| 2016 | 4.8 |
| 2015 | 4.84 |
| 2014 | 4.84 |
| 2013 | 4.59 |
| 2012 |
Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in nearby economies
More education data for North America
- Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils — 26.2 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils — 28.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, teachers — 1.89 million (2024)
- School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 70.3% (2020)
- Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) — 51.24% (2024)
- School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.98 (2020)
- Secondary education, general pupils — 27.5 million (2018)
- Secondary education, vocational pupils
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is North America's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)?
- 4.84% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1971?
- It is down 2.84 percentage points from 7.68% in 1971. The highest value was 7.68% in 1971 and the lowest 4.59% in 2013.
- Is the latest change in government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) unusual for North America?
- In 2022, North America's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) fell 0.24 percentage points on 2021 (from 5.08% to 4.84%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2021), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.38 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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.GD.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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