Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Canada
Canada: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.8% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Canada, 1971–2022
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 Canada stood at 4.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Canada peaked at 7.7% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 2013.
That places Canada 70th out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.0% | 6.4% | 7.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 6.4% | 6.0% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.4% | 5.5% | 7.7% | 8 |
| 2000s | 4.9% | 4.6% | 5.4% | 7 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.6% | 5.4% | 9 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 4.7% | 4.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0085 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.35 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.35 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.35 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.939 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.46 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 82.11 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 83.17 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 76.12 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Canada?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Canada was 4.8% 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 7.7% in 1971.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 2013.
- How does Canada rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Canada ranks 70th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.