Public Education Spending by Country 2026: Data, Charts & Rankings
Country ranking uses the latest available World Bank World Development Indicators series for government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP). The 2026 label is the page edition; source years vary by country and are shown in the tables.
Public Education Spending Statistics
Snapshot values refer to reported government education expenditure as a share of GDP in the selected WDI country/economy extract.
Education Spending Ranking by Latest Reported GDP Share
The chart ranks the highest latest reported values in the selected official WDI extract. The full country/economy table follows the chart.
Highest reported public education spending values
Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP), latest available source year by country/economy.
Values use the latest reported year available for each country/economy in the selected WDI indicator extract, so source years are not identical across rows.
Chart analysis
- Algeria has the highest latest reported value in the chart at 9.0% of GDP.
- Cuba and Botswana also appear above 8% of GDP in their latest reported values.
- The chart is a ranked visual summary, not the full country/economy coverage.
- Different source years can affect rank comparisons because education finance reporting is not equally current for every country.
Full Country Spending Table
Ranking is based on latest reported government education expenditure as % of GDP in the selected official WDI / UNESCO UIS indicator extract.
| Rank | Country / economy | Code | Latest value | Source year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Source note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Algeria | DZA | 9.0% | 2023 | 6.2% | 5.5% | 4.7% | 9.0% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 2 | Cuba | CUB | 8.4% | 2023 | 9.0% | 11.5% | 9.4% | 8.4% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 3 | Botswana | BWA | 8.1% | 2020 | 8.1% | not reported | not reported | not reported | Latest visible value is older than most rows |
| 4 | Bolivia | BOL | 7.5% | 2023 | 8.4% | 8.0% | 7.6% | 7.5% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 5 | Belgium | BEL | 6.3% | 2022 | 6.8% | 6.4% | 6.3% | not reported | Latest visible value is 2022 |
| 6 | Bhutan | BTN | 5.8% | 2023 | 5.5% | 6.6% | 7.5% | 5.8% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 7 | Brazil | BRA | 5.6% | 2022 | 5.8% | 5.5% | 5.6% | not reported | Latest visible value is 2022 |
| 8 | Austria | AUT | 5.3% | 2022 | 5.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% | not reported | Latest visible value is 2022 |
| 9 | Costa Rica | CRI | 5.3% | 2023 | 6.6% | 6.2% | 5.5% | 5.3% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 10 | Burkina Faso | BFA | 5.3% | 2023 | 5.2% | 5.2% | 5.3% | 5.3% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 11 | Australia | AUS | 5.1% | 2023 | not reported | 5.4% | 5.3% | 5.1% | Recent values visible in WDI preview extract |
| 12 | Argentina | ARG | 5.0% | 2023 | 5.3% | 4.7% | 4.8% | 5.0% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 13 | Belarus | BLR | 5.0% | 2024 | 4.9% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.9% | Latest visible value extends to 2024 |
| 14 | Chile | CHL | 4.9% | 2022 | 5.6% | 5.0% | 4.9% | not reported | Latest visible value is 2022 |
| 15 | Canada | CAN | 4.8% | 2022 | 4.9% | 4.7% | 4.8% | not reported | Latest visible value is 2022 |
| 16 | Belize | BLZ | 4.6% | 2024 | 5.2% | 6.0% | 4.6% | 4.2% | Latest visible value extends to 2024 |
| 17 | Bulgaria | BGR | 4.5% | 2022 | 4.5% | 4.7% | 4.5% | not reported | Latest visible value is 2022 |
| 18 | Burundi | BDI | 4.5% | 2025 | 5.3% | 4.9% | not reported | not reported | Latest visible value extends to 2025 |
| 19 | Brunei Darussalam | BRN | 4.4% | 2016 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | Latest visible value is older than recent comparison years |
| 20 | Afghanistan | AFG | 4.3% | 2017 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | Latest visible value is older than recent comparison years |
| 21 | Cabo Verde | CPV | 4.3% | 2023 | 7.1% | 6.2% | 4.7% | 4.3% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 22 | Barbados | BRB | 3.6% | 2024 | 3.9% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 3.8% | Latest visible value extends to 2024 |
| 23 | Côte d’Ivoire | CIV | 3.6% | 2024 | 3.8% | 3.3% | 3.5% | 3.4% | Latest visible value extends to 2024 |
| 24 | Aruba | ABW | 3.6% | 2022 | 4.4% | not reported | 3.6% | not reported | Latest visible value is 2022 |
| 25 | Albania | ALB | 3.1% | 2023 | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.1% | 3.1% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 26 | Antigua and Barbuda | ATG | 3.1% | 2023 | 3.0% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 3.1% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 27 | Bahrain | BHR | 1.9% | 2023 | 2.1% | 1.9% | 1.7% | 1.9% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 28 | Bangladesh | BGD | 2.0% | 2024 | 2.1% | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.2% | Latest visible value extends to 2024 |
| 29 | Armenia | ARM | 2.4% | 2023 | 2.7% | 2.8% | 2.5% | 2.4% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 30 | Angola | AGO | 2.5% | 2023 | 2.7% | 2.3% | 2.4% | 2.5% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 31 | Bahamas, The | BHS | 2.7% | 2023 | 3.7% | 3.0% | 2.6% | 2.7% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 32 | Benin | BEN | 3.2% | 2024 | 2.9% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.2% | Latest visible value extends to 2024 |
| 33 | Bermuda | BMU | 1.9% | 2023 | 1.7% | 1.9% | 1.8% | 1.9% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 34 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | BIH | 3.2% | 2023 | 3.0% | 4.1% | 3.0% | 3.2% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 35 | British Virgin Islands | VGB | 3.2% | 2023 | 2.7% | 3.0% | 2.5% | 3.2% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 36 | Cambodia | KHM | 2.2% | 2023 | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.2% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 37 | Cameroon | CMR | 2.8% | 2023 | 3.1% | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2.8% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 38 | Cayman Islands | CYM | 1.6% | 2023 | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 1.6% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 39 | Central African Republic | CAF | 1.8% | 2023 | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.1% | 1.8% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 40 | Chad | TCD | 3.2% | 2023 | 2.7% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 3.2% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 41 | China | CHN | 3.9% | 2021 | not reported | 3.9% | not reported | not reported | Latest visible value is 2021 |
| 42 | Colombia | COL | 5.3% | 2021 | 5.3% | 5.3% | not reported | not reported | Latest visible value is 2021 |
| 43 | Comoros | COM | 2.3% | 2023 | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.4% | 2.3% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 44 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | COD | 2.8% | 2022 | 2.6% | 2.7% | 2.8% | not reported | Latest visible value is 2022 |
| 45 | Congo, Rep. | COG | 3.3% | 2023 | 4.2% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 3.3% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 46 | Croatia | HRV | 4.1% | 2021 | 4.4% | 4.1% | not reported | not reported | Latest visible value is 2021 |
| 47 | Andorra | AND | 1.9% | 2023 | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.6% | 1.9% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
| 48 | Azerbaijan | AZE | 3.7% | 2023 | 4.3% | 3.7% | 3.0% | 3.7% | WDI / UNESCO UIS reported series |
Table analysis
- The highest latest reported value in the table is Algeria at 9.0% of GDP.
- Cuba, Botswana, and Bolivia also report latest values above 7% of GDP.
- Some ranks use older latest values, including Brunei Darussalam and Afghanistan, because later source years are not reported in the selected extract.
- Recent-year comparison columns show uneven reporting: not every country has values for 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
- The table ranks spending intensity relative to GDP, not total spending volume or per-student spending.
Long-Run Spending Trend
Selected countries with visible historical anchor values show how reported public education spending shares changed over time.
Selected country trend anchors
Government education expenditure as % of GDP, selected WDI anchor years.
Trend anchors use selected visible years from the same WDI indicator series; “Latest” can refer to different source years by country.
Trend analysis
- Costa Rica rises from 4.7% in 2000 to 5.3% in the latest visible value.
- Canada moves from 5.4% in 2000 to 4.8% in the latest visible value.
- Austria remains within a narrow band from 5.3% to 5.6% across the selected anchors.
- Bangladesh returns close to its 2000 value after a lower 2016 anchor.
| Country | 2000 | 2016 | 2020 | Latest | Latest year | Change since 2000 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 4.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% | 5.0% | 2023 | +0.4 pp | Latest visible value remains above the 2000 anchor. |
| Austria | 5.6% | 5.5% | 5.6% | 5.3% | 2022 | -0.3 pp | Reported values remain in a narrow band. |
| Bangladesh | 2.1% | 1.3% | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2024 | -0.1 pp | Latest visible value is close to the 2000 anchor. |
| Canada | 5.4% | 4.8% | 4.9% | 4.8% | 2022 | -0.6 pp | Latest visible value is lower than the 2000 anchor. |
| Costa Rica | 4.7% | 6.9% | 6.6% | 5.3% | 2023 | +0.6 pp | Latest visible value remains above the 2000 anchor. |
Trend table analysis
- Costa Rica has the largest positive change among the selected trend rows at +0.6 percentage points since 2000.
- Canada has the largest negative change among the selected rows at -0.6 percentage points since 2000.
- Percentage-point change compares spending shares, not spending amounts in currency terms.
Spending Distribution Bands
Distribution bands group the ranked extract by latest reported public education spending share.
| Band | Rows | Example countries | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6% of GDP and above | 5 | Algeria, Cuba, Botswana, Bolivia, Belgium | Highest spending-share band in the selected extract. |
| 4% to below 6% | 17 | Bhutan, Brazil, Austria, Costa Rica, Australia | Large middle-high band with many reported values near 5%. |
| 2% to below 4% | 21 | Azerbaijan, Barbados, Benin, Cameroon, Cambodia | Middle-low band in the selected extract. |
| Below 2% of GDP | 5 | Bahrain, Bermuda, Andorra, Central African Republic, Cayman Islands | Lowest reported spending-share band in the selected extract. |
Spending analysis
- The 2% to below 4% band contains the largest number of rows in this extract.
- The 6% and above band is much smaller, with five reported rows.
- Banding uses latest reported values only; it does not adjust for country size, student population, or purchasing power.
Spending Interpretation Notes
These notes describe how to read the public spending indicator without mixing it with other education finance measures.
GDP-share ranking
The ranking compares public education spending relative to GDP. It does not rank total education budgets, per-student spending, teacher pay, or household education costs.
Source-year caution
Some countries report recent values, while others have older latest values. Source year must be read together with the rank.
Reported government expenditure
The indicator covers government education expenditure as reported through the international statistical series. Private spending is outside this measure.
No outcome claim
A higher spending share is not an education quality score. Learning outcomes, completion, equity, and efficiency require separate indicators.
Source and Methodology
World Bank World Development Indicators: Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP).
World Bank WDI republishes the series from UNESCO Institute for Statistics data systems.
General government expenditure on education, including current, capital, and transfers, expressed as a percentage of GDP.
Percent of gross domestic product. Values are rounded to one decimal place in the tables and charts.
Latest available source year varies by country/economy. Historical anchor years use visible WDI reporting points.
World Bank DataBank WDI series and UNESCO UIS Data Browser resources.
The embedded table uses a selected official WDI country/economy extract with visible reported values. Coverage differs from the full WDI database export.
“not reported” marks years without a visible reported value in the selected extract. No missing value is estimated.
Ranking uses each country/economy’s latest visible reported value for SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Historical changes are calculated in percentage points, using reported anchor values only. The page does not combine this GDP-share indicator with per-student spending, total spending, or public expenditure as a share of total government expenditure.
Public education spending as a share of GDP measures fiscal effort relative to the size of the economy. It is not a direct measure of education quality, learning outcomes, school access, teacher supply, or per-student resources. Cross-country comparisons should account for reporting year, GDP size, price levels, demographics, and education system structure.