Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Austria

Austria: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
5.3%
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
51st
of 199 countries
All-time high
6.1%
in 1998
All-time low
4.2%
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2022

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Austria, 1970–2022

0246197019962022

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 Austria stood at 5.3%.

The figure is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 4.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Austria peaked at 6.1% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 1970.

Austria ranks 51st of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.8% 4.2% 5.3% 10
1980s 5.3% 5.0% 5.5% 10
1990s 5.5% 5.0% 6.1% 8
2000s 5.4% 5.2% 5.8% 10
2010s 5.5% 5.2% 5.7% 10
2020s 5.4% 5.3% 5.6% 3

Countries ranked near Austria

  1. 48 Costa Rica 5.3% compare
  2. 49 Tonga 5.3% compare
  3. 50 Slovenia 5.3% compare
  4. 52 Colombia 5.3% compare
  5. 53 East Timor 5.2% compare
  6. 54 Germany 5.2% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Austria

All data for Austria →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Austria?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Austria was 5.3% 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 Austria?
The highest recorded value was 6.1% in 1998.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Austria?
The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 1970.
How does Austria rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Austria ranks 51st out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Austria?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Austria 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

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

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