North America: Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 2.37 percentage points from 13.02% in 2017. Since 1981 it is down 4.93 percentage points from 15.58% in 1981. 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 government expenditure) rose 0.47 percentage points on 2021 (from 10.18% to 10.65%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2021), the average change was −0.14 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.76 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 1.51 percentage points in 1993 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.92 percentage points in 2021. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 19% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

Limitations: Data on government expenditure on education may refer to spending by the ministry of education only (excluding spending on educational activities by other ministries). In addition, definitions and methods of data on total general government expenditure may differ across countries.

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

All 36 values

Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 15.66% (2017)
• Algeria — 15.54% (2025)
• Bahrain — 8.34% (2025)
• Djibouti — 14.47% (2018)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 18.82% (2022)
• Israel — 16.07% (2022)
• Jordan — 9.79% (2024)
• Kuwait — 13.85% (2025)
• Lebanon

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

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Questions people ask

What is North America's government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure)?

10.65% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1981?

It is down 4.93 percentage points from 15.58% in 1981. The highest value was 15.58% in 1981 and the lowest 10.18% in 2021.

Is the latest change in government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) unusual for North America?

In 2022, North America's government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) rose 0.47 percentage points on 2021 (from 10.18% to 10.65%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2021), the average change was −0.14 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.76 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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.TOTL.GB.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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