South Korea vs United States: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education

South Korea

5.4%

in 2022

United States

5.4%

in 2021

South Korea rank

44th

United States rank

43rd

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education over time

United States currently reports 5.4% against 5.4% in South Korea, a difference of 0.0%.

Across all 7 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.

Globally, South Korea ranks 44th and United States ranks 43rd of 199 countries.

Indicator: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
Unit: % of GDP
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 199 places, 5,140 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.