Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Serbia

Serbia: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
3.4%
Change on year
up 10.4%
World rank
130th
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.3%
in 2009
All-time low
3.1%
in 2022
Years of data
10
2007–2023

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Serbia, 2007–2023

012342007201520232007: 4 % of GDP2009: 4.3 % of GDP2011: 4.1 % of GDP2016: 3.5 % of GDP2017: 3.6 % of GDP2018: 3.4 % of GDP2019: 3.5 % of GDP2021: 3.1 % of GDP2022: 3.1 % of GDP2023: 3.4 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2023, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Serbia stood at 3.4%.

The figure is up 10.4% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Serbia peaked at 4.3% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2022.

That places Serbia 130th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4.2% 4.0% 4.3% 2
2010s 3.6% 3.4% 4.1% 5
2020s 3.2% 3.1% 3.4% 3

Countries ranked near Serbia

  1. 127 Macao 3.5% compare
  2. 128 Saint Kitts and Nevis 3.5% compare
  3. 129 Palau 3.4% compare
  4. 131 Greece 3.4% compare
  5. 132 Congo 3.3% compare
  6. 133 Japan 3.3% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Serbia

All data for Serbia →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Serbia?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Serbia was 3.4% in 2023, 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 Serbia?
The highest recorded value was 4.3% in 2009.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Serbia?
The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2022.
How does Serbia rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Serbia ranks 130th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Serbia?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Serbia 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.