United Kingdom: Current education expenditure, primary (% of total expenditure in primary public institutions)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, United Kingdom's current education expenditure, primary (% of total expenditure in primary public institutions) rose 0.61 percentage points on 2020 (from 92.65% to 93.26%).

Across the 20 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2020), the average change was −0.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.07 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 5.46 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.22 percentage points in 2020. 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 2021 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.47 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 41% of the movement over 9 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.

Closest to United Kingdom in the 2021 ranking

• Mali — 1st of 6: 99.39%
• Malaysia — 2nd of 6: 98.79%
• Ukraine — 3rd of 6: 95.97%
• Ireland — 5th of 6: 89.37%
• Japan — 6th of 6: 86.94%

What this measures

Current expenditure is expressed as a percentage of direct expenditure in public educational institutions (instructional and non-instructional) of the specified level of education. Financial aid to students and other transfers are excluded from direct expenditure. Current expenditure is consumed within the current year and would have to be renewed if needed in the following year. It includes staff compensation and current expenditure other than for staff compensation (ex. on teaching materials, ancillary services and administration).

Limitations: The indicator depends on comprehensive and accurate data regarding government expenditure by type and nature of spending. In some cases, data on total government expenditure on education only includes the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries that may also allocate part of their budget to educational services.

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

All 23 values

Current education expenditure, primary (% of total expenditure in primary public institutions) in nearby economies

• Andorra — 98.32% (2023)
• Austria — 89.45% (2022)
• Belgium — 95.13% (2022)
• Bulgaria — 92.69% (2022)
• Cyprus — 96.67% (2022)
• Czechia — 92.84% (2022)
• Denmark — 89.92% (2022)
• Estonia

More education data for United Kingdom

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Secondary education, pupils — 6.4 million (2023)
• School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.02 (2020)
• Primary education, pupils — 4.86 million (2023)
• Secondary education, general pupils — 4.17 million (2017)
• Secondary education, general pupils (% female) — 49.21% (2017)
• Secondary education, pupils (% female)

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Questions people ask

What is United Kingdom's current education expenditure, primary (% of total expenditure in primary public institutions)?

93.26% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is down 2.26 percentage points from 95.52% in 1998. The highest value was 97.86% in 2019 and the lowest 88.22% in 2010.

Is the latest change in current education expenditure, primary (% of total expenditure in primary public institutions) unusual for United Kingdom?

In 2021, United Kingdom's current education expenditure, primary (% of total expenditure in primary public institutions) rose 0.61 percentage points on 2020 (from 92.65% to 93.26%). Across the 20 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2020), the average change was −0.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.07 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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.CPRM.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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