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Global education finance data

Education Spending per Student by Country 2026: Charts & Rankings

Country rankings use the World Bank World Development Indicators series for government expenditure per student, primary education, as a percentage of GDP per capita. The 2026 label is the publication edition; the source values in the ranking run from 1998 to 2018.

The metric is a source-defined relative spending indicator. It is not current-dollar spending per student, PPP-adjusted spending, total education expenditure, or an outcome score.

Indicator: SE.XPD.PRIM.PC.ZS Coverage: 164 countries/economies Latest source year: 2018 Unit: % of GDP per capita Main source: World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS

Per-Student Spending Statistics

Snapshot values are calculated from the visible 164-row ranking table. Values are rounded to two decimals.

Country/economy coverage
164
Rows with a reported primary-level source value.
Highest reported value
49.07%
Cuba, source year 2010.
Median reported value
14.44%
Median across ranked rows.
Lowest reported value
0.24%
Kazakhstan, source year 2018.
Rows from 2016–2018
88
Recent rows in the extracted source coverage.
Source-year range
1998–2018
The ranking does not relabel source years as 2026.

Per-Student Spending Ranking Visual

The chart summarizes the highest reported values. The complete country/economy ranking remains in the searchable table.

Highest reported primary per-student spending values

Government expenditure per primary student, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.

The top-ranked row is Cuba at 49.07%. Eight countries/economies in the table have reported values of 30% or more.

Chart analysis
  • Cuba, Serbia, and Djibouti are the only rows above 37%.
  • Moldova is the highest row with a 2018 source year, at 32.53%.
  • The top-20 threshold is 22.52%, reported by Kiribati.
  • The chart is a visual summary; rank order and source years are listed in the full table.

Full Country Per-Student Spending Table

Rank order is based on the latest reported primary-level government expenditure per student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Source years differ by country/economy.

Rank Country Primary per-student spend Source year Value band Source-age band Source
1Cuba49.07%201030%+2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
2Serbia43.65%201530%+2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
3Djibouti37.32%201630%+2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
4Albania34.18%201730%+2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
5Moldova32.53%201830%+2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
6Cyprus31.88%201630%+2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
7Oman31.77%201630%+2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
8Ukraine30.32%201730%+2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
9Korea27.85%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
10Denmark25.05%201420–29.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
11Switzerland24.79%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
12Latvia24.50%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
13United Kingdom24.17%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
14Slovenia23.57%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
15Austria23.48%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
16Thailand23.32%201320–29.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
17Poland23.08%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
18Bulgaria23.00%201320–29.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
19Malta22.83%201520–29.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
20Kiribati22.52%200120–29.99%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
21Portugal22.51%201520–29.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
22Iceland22.10%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
23Belgium21.88%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
24Japan21.78%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
25Sweden21.74%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
26Norway21.70%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
27Jamaica21.68%201820–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
28Israel21.53%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
29Finland21.51%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
30Honduras21.44%201320–29.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
31Vietnam21.14%201320–29.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
32Costa Rica20.83%201820–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
33Slovak Republic20.82%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
34Barbados20.75%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
35Lesotho20.71%201820–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
36New Zealand20.32%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
37Estonia20.29%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
38Greece20.27%201620–29.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
39Brazil20.05%201520–29.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
40United States19.86%201615–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
41Luxembourg19.69%201515–19.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
42Italy19.52%201615–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
43Morocco19.50%201315–19.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
44Lithuania19.50%201615–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
45Australia19.30%201615–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
46Hungary19.06%201615–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
47Puerto Rico18.54%201415–19.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
48Chile18.39%201715–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
49Yemen18.06%201115–19.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
50South Africa17.94%201815–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
51Venezuela17.91%201515–19.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
52Liechtenstein17.79%201115–19.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
53Saudi Arabia17.66%200715–19.99%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
54Canada17.57%201515–19.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
55Singapore17.52%201715–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
56St. Vincent and the Grenadines17.51%201815–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
57Germany17.44%201615–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
58Tunisia17.43%200815–19.99%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
59France17.36%201615–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
60Spain17.12%201615–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
61Namibia17.09%201015–19.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
62Cayman Islands17.06%200615–19.99%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
63Colombia16.99%201815–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
64Syrian Arab Republic16.89%201215–19.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
65Netherlands16.67%201615–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
66Cabo Verde16.66%201715–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
67Belize16.56%201715–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
68Eswatini16.46%201415–19.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
69Dominican Republic16.19%201815–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
70Togo16.16%201615–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
71Malaysia16.14%201715–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
72Burkina Faso16.13%201515–19.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
73El Salvador16.10%201815–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
74San Marino16.08%201115–19.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
75Mauritius15.57%201815–19.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
76Trinidad and Tobago15.10%200915–19.99%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
77Argentina14.98%201710–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
78Hong Kong SAR, China14.83%201810–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
79St. Lucia14.71%201810–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
80Mozambique14.65%201310–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
81Dominica14.64%201510–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
82Liberia14.50%201610–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
83Kuwait14.38%201410–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
84Seychelles14.20%201610–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
85Mongolia14.11%201710–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
86Zimbabwe14.00%201310–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
87Czech Republic13.87%201610–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
88Mexico13.78%201610–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
89Vanuatu13.53%201510–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
90Jordan13.31%201810–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
91Niger13.30%201710–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
92Indonesia13.28%201510–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
93Côte d'Ivoire13.28%201810–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
94Turkey13.00%201610–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
95Burundi12.93%201310–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
96Zambia12.89%201710–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
97Bhutan12.85%201410–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
98Uruguay12.64%201710–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
99Sierra Leone12.37%201810–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
100Nepal12.36%201510–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
101Fiji12.35%201310–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
102Mali12.34%201710–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
103Andorra12.31%201810–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
104Guatemala11.88%201810–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
105São Tomé and Principe11.87%201410–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
106Ireland11.84%201610–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
107Congo11.69%201010–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
108Paraguay11.67%201610–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
109Algeria11.48%200310–14.99%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
110Nicaragua11.26%201010–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
111Peru11.22%201810–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
112Bahrain11.16%201510–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
113Iran11.12%201710–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
114Kenya10.95%201510–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
115Senegal10.90%201810–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
116Benin10.25%201510–14.99%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
117Afghanistan10.25%201710–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
118Qatar10.22%200910–14.99%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
119Mauritania10.18%201610–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
120Armenia10.15%201710–14.99%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
121Botswana10.05%200910–14.99%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
122Egypt9.85%2017Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
123India9.79%2013Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
124Comoros9.76%2014Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
125Tonga9.67%2004Under 10%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
126Tanzania9.52%2014Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
127Ecuador9.51%2016Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
128Lao PDR9.10%2014Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
129Philippines9.06%2008Under 10%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
130Samoa8.97%2016Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
131Brunei8.87%2016Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
132Georgia8.84%2012Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
133The Gambia8.47%2015Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
134Timor-Leste8.34%2014Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
135Grenada8.18%2017Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
136Malawi8.16%2016Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
137Pakistan8.10%2015Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
138Antigua and Barbuda8.06%2009Under 10%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
139Sri Lanka7.92%2018Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
140Ethiopia7.88%2015Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
141Romania7.83%2016Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
142Myanmar7.81%2018Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
143Guyana7.77%2012Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
144Macao SAR, China7.62%2003Under 10%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
145Bangladesh7.57%2009Under 10%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
146Dem. Rep. Congo7.19%2013Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
147Guinea6.81%2016Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
148Cambodia6.64%2014Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
149Madagascar6.57%2012Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
150Ghana6.44%2014Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
151Chad6.30%2012Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
152Panama6.25%2011Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
153United Arab Emirates6.04%1998Under 10%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
154China5.90%1998Under 10%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
155Uganda5.62%2014Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
156Cameroon5.45%2012Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
157Eritrea5.27%2004Under 10%Pre-2010World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
158St. Kitts and Nevis5.22%2015Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
159Guinea-Bissau4.75%2010Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
160Gabon4.72%2011Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
161Rwanda4.26%2018Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
162Central African Republic4.10%2010Under 10%2010–2015World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
163Monaco3.31%2016Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
164Kazakhstan0.24%2018Under 10%2016–2018World Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS
Table analysis
  • The full ranking contains 164 countries/economies with reported values.
  • The highest value is 49.07% for Cuba; the lowest is 0.24% for Kazakhstan.
  • The top-to-lowest spread is 48.83 percentage points.
  • 39 rows report values of at least 20% of GDP per capita.
  • 88 rows use source years from 2016 to 2018.
  • 16 rows use source years before 2010, so source-year filtering matters for comparisons.
  • The median row is between Liberia at 14.50% and Kuwait at 14.38%, giving a median of 14.44%.
  • The ranking is level-specific: it uses primary education only, not secondary, tertiary, or total education expenditure.

Source-Year Coverage and Value Bands

Coverage tables show where the ranking is concentrated by source year and reported spending band.

Source-year distribution

Number of country/economy rows by latest reported year in the extracted ranking.

The modal source year is 2016, with 47 rows. The latest source year in the table is 2018.

Source-year analysis
  • 2016 has the largest row count, with 47 countries/economies.
  • 2018 contributes 23 rows, while 2017 contributes 18 rows.
  • Only 16 rows have source years before 2010.
Source yearRowsShare
20182314.0%
20171811.0%
20164728.7%
20151911.6%
2014137.9%
2013116.7%
201263.7%
201153.0%
201063.7%
200953.0%
200821.2%
200710.6%
200610.6%
200421.2%
200321.2%
200110.6%
199821.2%

Reported value bands

Country/economy rows grouped by primary per-student spending as a percentage of GDP per capita.

The 10–14.99% band has the largest count, with 45 rows.

Spending analysis
  • The largest band is 10–14.99%, with 45 rows.
  • The under 10% band contains 43 rows.
  • The two highest bands together contain 39 rows.
BandRowsShare
30%+84.9%
20–29.99%3118.9%
15–19.99%3722.6%
10–14.99%4527.4%
Under 10%4326.2%

Reported Series Examples

Selected multi-year rows illustrate how the indicator can move over time when countries have repeated source observations. The coverage is uneven and not every country has decade-anchor values.

Selected primary per-student spending series

Reported values from available years in the World Bank/UNESCO indicator mirror.

Missing points are left blank where the selected country does not have a reported value for the anchor year.

Trend analysis
  • Burkina Faso declines from 33.32% in 2005 to 16.13% in 2015 in the selected series.
  • Burundi rises from 9.05% in 2000 to 12.93% in 2013.
  • Côte d’Ivoire remains close to its early value, moving from 13.03% in 2000 to 13.28% in 2018.
  • The chart uses selected country examples and does not replace the full ranking table.
Country Earliest Midpoint Latest Change Series source
Benin2000: 10.93%2010: 13.67%2015: 10.25%-0.68 ppWorld Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS mirror
Burkina Faso2005: 33.32%2010: 18.11%2015: 16.13%-17.19 ppWorld Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS mirror
Burundi2000: 9.05%2010: 14.43%2013: 12.93%+3.88 ppWorld Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS mirror
Cabo Verde2002: 17.02%2013: 14.51%2017: 16.66%-0.36 ppWorld Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS mirror
Côte d'Ivoire2000: 13.03%2013: 13.58%2018: 13.28%+0.24 ppWorld Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS mirror
Cameroon2005: 6.03%2010: 5.93%2012: 5.45%-0.58 ppWorld Bank WDI / UNESCO UIS mirror
Table analysis
  • The selected examples show uneven reporting intervals, which is common in this source series.
  • Burkina Faso has the largest absolute movement in the selected examples, at -17.19 percentage points from 2005 to 2015.
  • Côte d’Ivoire has the smallest absolute movement in the selected examples, at +0.24 percentage points from 2000 to 2018.

Interpretation Notes

The indicator compares public spending per primary student to GDP per person. It should remain separate from total budgets, PPP-dollar measures, and learning outcomes.

Metric boundary

The ranking uses primary education. Secondary and tertiary spending per student are separate World Bank indicators and are not merged into the rank order.

Relative unit

A value of 20% means reported government spending per primary student equals 20% of GDP per capita. It is not a dollar amount.

Source-year caution

Rows use the latest reported source value by country/economy. The table includes older rows where no newer source value is reported.

Coverage limit

Countries without a reported value in the selected source coverage are not assigned a value or rank.

Outcome separation

The table is not joined to PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS, completion, literacy, or attainment metrics.

Comparison use

Use the source year and value band together when comparing rows with different reporting dates.

Source and Methodology

Primary sourceWorld Bank World Development Indicators, sourced from UNESCO Institute for Statistics bulk data service.
IndicatorSE.XPD.PRIM.PC.ZS — Government expenditure per student, primary (% of GDP per capita).
DefinitionAverage general government expenditure per primary student, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.
Coverage164 countries/economies with reported values in the extracted ranking set.
Source years1998–2018 in the visible ranking table; latest source year is 2018.
UnitPercent of GDP per capita, rounded to two decimals for display.
Ranking methodRows are sorted from highest to lowest latest reported value. No composite score is calculated.
Missing valuesCountries/economies without a reported source value are omitted from the ranking; values are not imputed.
Official linksWorld Bank indicator page · World Bank metadata glossary · UNESCO UIS bulk data service
Extraction cross-checkIndexMundi mirror of the World Bank/UNESCO ranking, used only as a visible row extraction checkpoint.

The table keeps the source-defined unit. No current-dollar, PPP-dollar, inflation, cost-of-living, or exchange-rate conversion is applied. Band counts, median values, source-year counts, and chart datasets are calculated from the visible HTML table rows.

The source defines school-year references using the reporting year in which the school year ended. General government usually covers central, regional, and local government spending where reported under the source methodology.

Methodological Safety Note

Per-student spending rankings are finance-input rankings for one source-defined primary education indicator. They do not measure education quality, school adequacy, learning outcomes, classroom conditions, private spending, or efficiency. Source years vary by country/economy, so row comparisons should keep the year column visible.

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