How much countries spend on education

Donors also spend very different amounts per child in countries at the same level of education development. For instance, while about half of children complete primary school in both Liberia and Mauritania, Liberia receives 10 times the amount of aid to basic education per school age child. Looking at bilateral and multilateral donors from until in the below graph shows which are spending equitably. The following table looks at the aid flows between the top 10 donors and the top 10 recipients globally, by education level.

Germany may appear to be the largest single donor to education in these countries, for example. Yet the large share of this aid going to post-secondary education is an indication that these resources are largely spent on foreign students — mostly Chinese — who study in Germany, rather than necessarily working towards equity and quality at the basic education level.

This graph shows which countries the top donors to education are prioritising and at what level. Strong global coordination by donors is important in education. And yet this graph shows the large number of donors giving to any one country, despite the added pressure this might place on a government to manage these relationships at the country level. This spending can be in the form of tuition and other fees, but can also be for education goods and services, of which some are required e.

Where such data is standardized across countries, spectacular evidence emerges of the contribution that households are making to total education spending. For example, in —, Uganda had some of the lowest government expenditure as a percentage of GDP. The governments of El Salvador and Indonesia spent two percentage points of GDP less on education than did France and the Netherlands — the blue bar —, but they spent more overall because households spent more than three percentage points of GDP on education — the red bar.

Very few countries provide timely and consistent data over a long period of time on how much is being spent on education and by what source. Aside from the need to improve the financing available for education, diagnostic tools on financing for the sector also need to be strengthened. Achieving our global education goal, SDG 4, relies upon holding countries and donors to account for their commitments. Postsecondary Education. Population Characteristics and Economic Outcomes. International Comparisons.

School Crime and Safety. Related sites. Last Updated: May Download PDF. Select a subgroup: Show all available findings. Figure 1. Expenditures and percentage change in expenditures per full-time-equivalent FTE student for elementary and secondary education, by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD country: and Rounds to zero.

Figure 2. Expenditures and percentage change in expenditures per full-time-equivalent FTE student for postsecondary education, by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD country: and Figure 3.

Figure 4. Figure 5. Government and private expenditures on education institutions as a percentage of gross domestic product GDP for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD countries with the two highest and lowest percentages of expenditures for all institutions, by level of education: Related Indicators and Resources.

Enrollment Rates by Country. International Comparisons: Reading Literacy at Grade 4. International Educational Attainment. Public School Expenditures. Data Sources. But despite all that spending, the US has struggled. Pew Research from found the US ranked 38th in math and 24th in science when compared against 71 other countries.

Only two decades prior, the US's education system ranked 6th internationally. So clearly money doesn't solve everything, but it can serve as a signal for how interested particular countries are in improving education outcomes. The test features sections on reading, math, and science and currently stands as one of the best benchmarks for comparing academic performance between counties. The graph below shows the international results for the OECD reading exam. While some critics have rejected the usefulness of comparing international test scores and even argued that the PISA reinforces a "neoliberal framing of education policies," it's still some of the best data available and one referenced by most industrialized nations.

Portuguese education is free and universal and is required for students between the ages of six and The schooling process is broken up into three "cycles " and students take an exam at the end of each cycle. Despite classes being free of charge, many Portuguese students have had to purchase the majority of their own books until recently. That changed in when lawmakers added class books to the state's education budget.

Percentage of GDP spent on education in 4. OECD international math ranking in OECD international reading ranking in OECD international science ranking in Italy requires kids between the ages of six to 16 years old attend school, even if they're not an Italian citizen.

Unlike in the US, Italian students attend school year-round. Italian public schools are also required to offer at least one hour of religious study per week, but parents can request that their kids opt out of it.

Italy is known for its food culture, which extends its schools as well. According to Italy Magazine , public school classes are structured so that most students have an hour to go home, enjoy a homemade meal, and come back for afternoon classes. While this early education is popular, it is not mandatory until children are required to enroll at age six. If students pass the test, they then have the choice to pursue a higher education degree in vocational training or academic disciplines. Percentage of GDP spent on education in 5.

Finland is often referenced as one of the top education systems. Much of what makes Finland's education system stick out from other countries is the quality of its teachers.

In Finland, all teachers are required to complete a rigorous five-year master's program. According to a Guardian report , the purpose of this lengthy program is to allow the aspiring teachers the freedom to design their own class structures. Private schools are exceedingly rare in Finland.

Plus, class curriculums focus less on long hours and tedious homework and more on creative playtime. Percentage of GDP spent on education in 7.

OECD international reading ranking in 7.