Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Germany
Germany: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Germany, 1993–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Germany is 5.2%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.4% on the previous year and up 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Germany peaked at 5.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 1994.
Germany ranks 54th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.4% | 4.3% | 4.5% | 5 |
| 2000s | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.8% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.2% | 5.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More reference data data for Germany
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0056 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.44 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.44 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.44 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.959 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.63 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 84.95 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 84.82 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.6 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 0.1243 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Germany?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Germany was 5.2% 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 5.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 1994.
- How does Germany rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Germany ranks 54th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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.