Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Australia
Australia: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Australia, 1978–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Australia stood at 5.1%.
The figure is down 5.3% on the previous year.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Australia peaked at 6.0% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 4.7%, in 1990.
Australia ranks 63rd of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.9% | 5.9% | 6.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 5.2% | 4.7% | 5.6% | 8 |
| 1990s | 5.0% | 4.7% | 5.5% | 5 |
| 2020s | 5.3% | 5.1% | 5.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0065 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.64 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.64 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.64 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.958 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.47 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 82.27 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 83.32 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.51 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 79.44 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Australia?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Australia was 5.1% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.0% in 1978.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.7% in 1990.
- How does Australia rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Australia ranks 63rd out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.