Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in United States
United States: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in United States, 2015–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
United States recorded 5.4% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2021. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.
That places United States 43rd out of 199 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.8% | 5.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 40 Tajikistan 5.4% compare
- 41 Palestine 5.4% compare
- 42 Norway 5.4% compare
- 44 South Korea 5.4% compare
- 45 Dominica 5.4% compare
- 46 Burkina Faso 5.3% compare
More reference data data for United States
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0123 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.938 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 0.9618 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 73.52 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 72.37 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 0.887 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 64.27 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in United States?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in United States was 5.4% 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 2016.
- How does United States rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- United States ranks 43rd out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.