North America: Government expenditure per student, tertiary (% of GDP per capita)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 6.12 percentage points from 31.56% in 2011. Since 1998 it is down 17.42 percentage points from 42.85% in 1998. 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 2016, North America's government expenditure per student, tertiary (% of GDP per capita) fell 3.79 percentage points on 2015 (from 29.23% to 25.43%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2015), the average change was −1.38 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.23 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 4.05 percentage points in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.67 percentage points in 2012. 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 1.65 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 62% 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.

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 11 values

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

• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 24.16% (2017)
• Israel — 18.18% (2016)
• Malta — 44.4% (2015)
• Tunisia — 54.74% (2015)

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 per student, tertiary (% of GDP per capita)?

25.43% in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is down 17.42 percentage points from 42.85% in 1998. The highest value was 42.85% in 1998 and the lowest 21.89% in 2012.

Is the latest change in government expenditure per student, tertiary (% of GDP per capita) unusual for North America?

In 2016, North America's government expenditure per student, tertiary (% of GDP per capita) fell 3.79 percentage points on 2015 (from 29.23% to 25.43%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2015), the average change was −1.38 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.23 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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.TERT.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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