Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ukraine

Ukraine: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.1% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
5.1%
Change on year
down 4.5%
World rank
60th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.1%
in 2009
All-time low
3.6%
in 1999
Years of data
25
1970–2021

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ukraine, 1970–2021

024681970199520211970: 4.6 % of GDP1997: 5.5 % of GDP1998: 4.4 % of GDP1999: 3.6 % of GDP2000: 4 % of GDP2001: 4.5 % of GDP2002: 5.2 % of GDP2003: 5.4 % of GDP2004: 5.1 % of GDP2005: 5.8 % of GDP2006: 6 % of GDP2007: 5.9 % of GDP2008: 6.2 % of GDP2009: 7.1 % of GDP2011: 5.9 % of GDP2012: 6.4 % of GDP2013: 6.4 % of GDP2014: 5.9 % of GDP2015: 5.3 % of GDP2016: 5 % of GDP2017: 5.4 % of GDP2018: 5.3 % of GDP2019: 5.4 % of GDP2020: 5.4 % of GDP2021: 5.1 % of GDP

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 Ukraine is 5.1%, measured in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.5% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ukraine peaked at 7.1% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 1999.

That places Ukraine 60th out of 199 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.6% 4.6% 4.6% 1
1990s 4.5% 3.6% 5.5% 3
2000s 5.5% 4.0% 7.1% 10
2010s 5.7% 5.0% 6.4% 9
2020s 5.3% 5.1% 5.4% 2

Countries ranked near Ukraine

  1. 57 Estonia 5.2% compare
  2. 58 Netherlands 5.2% compare
  3. 59 Maldives 5.2% compare
  4. 61 Syria 5.1% compare
  5. 62 Grenada 5.1% compare
  6. 63 Australia 5.1% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Ukraine

All data for Ukraine →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ukraine?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ukraine was 5.1% in 2021, 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 Ukraine?
The highest recorded value was 7.1% in 2009.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Ukraine?
The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 1999.
How does Ukraine rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Ukraine ranks 60th out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Ukraine?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ukraine 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.