Education Spending By Country (% Of Budget) 2022-2026
How much do governments spend on education? Turkmenistan allocates 28.68% of its budget to education—the highest globally. Meanwhile, some countries spend less than 10%. This ranking reveals which nations prioritize education funding and which don't. Our analysis covers 157 countries, showing government education spending as a percentage of total budget from 2022 to 2026.
Government education spending measures the percentage of a country's total government budget allocated to education. This includes: A country spending 25% of its budget on education invests one-quarter of all government resources in schools, teachers, and students. A country spending 10% invests far less. Economic Growth: Countries investing in education develop skilled workforces. This drives innovation, productivity, and economic growth. South Korea's education investment transformed it from poor to wealthy in 50 years. Poverty Reduction: Education breaks poverty cycles. Children who attend quality schools earn higher incomes as adults. Countries spending more on education see faster poverty reduction. Social Stability: Educated populations have lower crime rates, better health outcomes, and more stable democracies. Education spending is social investment. Global Competitiveness: Countries with strong education systems attract foreign investment and high-tech industries. Companies locate where talent exists. African nations like Sierra Leone (25.23%), Namibia (24.71%), and Ethiopia (23.01%) allocate large budget shares to education. Despite limited resources, these countries prioritize education as a development strategy. Central Asian countries (Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan) spend heavily on education. Southeast Asia shows variation—Malaysia spends 20.15% while others invest less. East Asian nations like South Korea and Japan have strong education systems but moderate budget percentages due to large overall budgets. Paraguay (24.07%), Guatemala (22.48%), and Bolivia (21.05%) allocate significant budget shares to education. However, total budget sizes vary, so absolute spending differs. European countries often show lower percentages because they have large, diversified budgets. A country spending 15% of a trillion-dollar budget invests more absolute dollars than a country spending 25% of a billion-dollar budget. Development Stage: Developing countries often allocate higher percentages to education as they build school systems. Developed countries have established infrastructure, so percentages may be lower despite higher absolute spending. Demographics: Countries with young populations (high birth rates) need more schools and teachers. This increases education's budget share. Political Priorities: Governments choose budget allocations. Some prioritize military spending, others infrastructure, others education. These choices reflect political values. Economic Capacity: Wealthy countries can fund excellent education with smaller budget percentages. Poor countries must allocate larger shares to achieve basic education access. External Funding: Some countries receive international aid for education. This supplements government spending, allowing lower budget percentages while maintaining quality. What We Measured: We analyzed government expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure across 157 countries. This metric shows what share of government budgets goes to education. Data Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) - Government expenditure on education dataset. This is the authoritative global source for education spending data. Why This Matters: A country spending 25% of its budget on education (Turkmenistan) prioritizes education far more than a country spending 10%. However, absolute spending also matters—a rich country spending 15% may invest more total dollars than a poor country spending 25%. Years Covered: 2026 Projections Methodology: We calculated 2026 estimates using linear trend analysis on each country's historical data (1980-2024). For countries with at least 3 years of data, we performed linear regression to identify spending trends. The regression equation (y = mx + b) projects future values based on past patterns. For countries with insufficient data, we used the 2022 value as the 2026 estimate. This approach assumes current trends continue, which is reasonable for education spending as it changes gradually due to long-term planning cycles. Using up to 44 years of historical data provides robust trend identification. Important Notes:What Does Education Spending Mean?
Education Spending By Country (% Of Budget) 2022-2026
1
29.57
2
28.44
3
28.05
4
27.62
5
26.77
6
26.5
7
25.76
8
25.57
9
25.55
10
24.55
11
24.37
12
23.89
13
23.55
14
23.14
15
22.75
16
22.69
17
22.61
18
22.55
19
21.96
20
21.68
21
21.11
22
21.03
23
20.94
24
20.69
25
20.69
26
20.55
27
20.51
28
20.44
29
20.04
30
19.88
31
19.75
32
19.75
33
19.71
34
19.53
35
19.35
36
19.31
37
19.01
38
18.96
39
18.81
40
18.72
41
18.45
42
18.42
43
18.4
44
18.26
45
18.18
46
18.1
47
17.96
48
17.91
49
17.84
50
17.7
51
17.64
52
17.59
53
17.57
54
17.47
55
17.27
56
17.16
57
17.13
58
17.1
59
17.04
60
16.97
61
16.95
62
16.81
63
16.78
64
16.74
65
16.49
66
16.37
67
16.3
68
15.87
69
15.72
70
15.59
71
15.54
72
15.49
73
15.49
74
15.41
75
15.34
76
15.34
77
15.24
78
15.2
79
15.06
80
15.02
81
14.96
82
14.87
83
14.76
84
14.45
85
14.43
86
14.41
87
14.22
88
14.21
89
14.18
90
14.07
91
14.06
92
13.92
93
13.91
94
13.91
95
13.88
96
13.77
97
13.76
98
13.37
99
13.18
100
13.03
101
12.95
102
12.94
103
12.9
104
12.9
105
12.82
106
12.81
107
12.76
108
12.74
109
12.5
110
12.48
111
12.44
112
12.38
113
12.29
114
12.24
115
12.18
116
12.17
117
12.17
118
12.04
119
12.01
120
11.89
121
11.87
122
11.85
123
11.69
124
11.64
125
11.49
126
11.45
127
11.43
128
11.42
129
11.41
130
11.36
131
11.25
132
11.24
133
11.21
134
11.07
135
11.01
136
10.8
137
10.77
138
10.74
139
10.72
140
10.67
141
10.66
142
10.65
143
10.27
144
10.25
145
10.22
146
10.08
147
10.06
148
10.04
149
10.04
150
10.03
151
10
152
9.72
153
9.62
154
9.56
155
9.48
156
9.31
157
9.21
158
9.06
159
8.79
160
8.76
161
8.73
162
8.59
163
8.56
164
8.53
165
8.53
166
8.38
167
8.34
168
8.23
169
8.15
170
8.13
171
7.74
172
7.74
173
7.7
174
7.67
175
7.34
176
7.2
177
7.17
178
7.17
179
7.1
180
6.95
181
6.89
182
6.88
183
6.78
184
6.31
185
6.16
186
5.83
187
5.77
188
5.6
189
4.94
190
3.86
191
2.56
192
2.52
193
2.16
194
0.87
Top 10 Countries by Education Spending (2022)
Why Education Spending Matters
Regional Patterns
Africa - High Commitment Despite Challenges
Asia - Mixed Investment
Latin America - Moderate to High Spending
Europe - Established Systems
Why Spending Varies
Education Spending By Country (% Of Budget) 2022-2026
#
1
25.78
23.2
25.23
29.57
2
28.68
19.32
29.56
28.44
3
-
-
-
28.05
4
-
-
-
27.62
5
-
-
-
26.77
6
23.01
18.33
16.7
26.5
7
24.71
-
25.05
25.76
8
25.23
-
19.96
25.57
9
-
-
-
25.55
10
-
-
-
24.55
11
18.52
17.69
11.01
24.37
12
24.07
21.99
22.37
23.89
13
19.26
20.56
21.86
23.55
14
21.96
20.3
-
23.14
15
23.87
22.83
23.28
22.75
16
22.48
22.64
22.99
22.69
17
22.61
23.04
-
22.61
18
16.08
24.99
27.92
22.55
19
18.9
21.64
20.12
21.96
20
18.37
22.55
-
21.68
21
18.38
-
-
21.11
22
17.83
18.53
18.9
21.03
23
22.11
19.19
17.18
20.94
24
18.82
-
-
20.69
25
13.18
-
-
20.69
26
-
-
-
20.55
27
-
-
-
20.51
28
21.85
22.65
22.07
20.44
29
17.09
18.35
18.09
20.04
30
20.64
-
-
19.88
31
23.52
22.11
19.65
19.75
32
20.06
20.8
21.96
19.75
33
19.97
18.11
17.81
19.71
34
16.93
-
17.87
19.53
35
15.42
13.18
15.74
19.35
36
11.35
-
-
19.31
37
-
-
-
19.01
38
-
16.23
14.82
18.96
39
18.35
17.23
19.26
18.81
40
18.92
19.21
18.52
18.72
41
-
-
-
18.45
42
14.99
15.8
17.97
18.42
43
15.71
15.6
14.19
18.4
44
16.47
18.86
19.21
18.26
45
15.9
15.95
17.62
18.18
46
20.15
14.1
-
18.1
47
16.37
17.49
17.15
17.96
48
14.93
15.61
-
17.91
49
15.66
-
-
17.84
50
18.19
19.12
17.82
17.7
51
16.69
16.89
15.96
17.64
52
-
16
16
17.59
53
12.93
11.36
16.98
17.57
54
16.62
16.94
19.35
17.47
55
-
-
-
17.27
56
21.05
10.8
10.83
17.16
57
14.24
-
-
17.13
58
-
13.86
15.38
17.1
59
14.33
13.7
13.41
17.04
60
13.1
13.26
23.56
16.97
61
17.13
18.7
15.1
16.95
62
15.28
-
-
16.81
63
-
11.91
-
16.78
64
15.7
16.73
16.55
16.74
65
4.84
18.89
32.04
16.49
66
14.47
-
-
16.37
67
16.07
-
-
16.3
68
12.28
12.38
-
15.87
69
12.4
13
11.99
15.72
70
12.93
-
-
15.59
71
14.16
-
-
15.54
72
12.61
12.73
-
15.49
73
-
11
10.37
15.49
74
15.23
12.86
12.63
15.41
75
14.18
-
-
15.34
76
14.16
-
-
15.34
77
16.96
-
-
15.24
78
12.5
-
-
15.2
79
15.42
-
-
15.06
80
14.64
14.19
13.09
15.02
81
15.13
14.07
12.86
14.96
82
-
-
-
14.87
83
15.69
14.7
13.41
14.76
84
13.86
15.08
13.68
14.45
85
14.48
14.82
11.65
14.43
86
13.8
13.57
-
14.41
87
-
-
-
14.22
88
16.72
16.48
-
14.21
89
15.78
11.49
16.28
14.18
90
8.7
-
-
14.07
91
15.45
-
-
14.06
92
13.6
13.74
12.87
13.92
93
12.37
12.81
-
13.91
94
-
10.69
16.32
13.91
95
-
-
-
13.88
96
-
-
-
13.77
97
15.51
14.73
-
13.76
98
-
-
-
13.37
99
12.65
14.63
14.7
13.18
100
12.26
12.58
12.69
13.03
101
12.19
12.28
13.18
12.95
102
-
-
-
12.94
103
12.48
-
-
12.9
104
12.02
-
-
12.9
105
11.88
16.23
16.44
12.82
106
12.77
13.08
13.83
12.81
107
11.98
-
-
12.76
108
13.12
11.23
13.02
12.74
109
12.12
-
-
12.5
110
9.87
16.72
14.52
12.48
111
-
-
-
12.44
112
11.4
10.44
10.58
12.38
113
12.71
13.97
-
12.29
114
11.95
10.03
9.29
12.24
115
9.4
9.76
-
12.18
116
12.65
-
-
12.17
117
-
-
-
12.17
118
20.94
18.39
20.08
12.04
119
13.37
12.99
-
12.01
120
9.3
9.68
9.71
11.89
121
-
-
-
11.87
122
11.98
-
-
11.85
123
12.73
12.47
11.84
11.69
124
12.44
13.08
11.26
11.64
125
12.2
11.09
10.86
11.49
126
9.01
10.86
-
11.45
127
16.9
11.99
13.85
11.43
128
10.01
-
-
11.42
129
13.17
12.5
12.21
11.41
130
10.69
-
-
11.36
131
12.77
15.02
14.19
11.25
132
6.96
11.62
12
11.24
133
9.68
11.56
11.72
11.21
134
11.33
-
-
11.07
135
9.92
-
-
11.01
136
10.39
-
-
10.8
137
10.65
-
-
10.77
138
13.03
-
-
10.74
139
11.02
-
-
10.72
140
9.96
9.89
10.01
10.67
141
11.67
12.01
11.23
10.66
142
10.48
11.03
9.93
10.65
143
7.45
11.47
13.78
10.27
144
-
-
-
10.25
145
10.41
9.83
8.86
10.22
146
11.08
-
-
10.08
147
9.93
-
-
10.06
148
11.86
9.32
10.73
10.04
149
-
-
-
10.04
150
9.88
-
-
10.03
151
9.97
-
-
10
152
10.36
11.6
10.85
9.72
153
9.82
9.8
8.24
9.62
154
-
-
-
9.56
155
-
-
-
9.48
156
7.73
9.08
10.2
9.31
157
9.12
-
-
9.21
158
-
-
-
9.06
159
7.82
7.94
9.48
8.79
160
10.74
9.99
-
8.76
161
7.8
-
-
8.73
162
-
-
-
8.59
163
8.45
-
-
8.56
164
10.65
12.74
13.14
8.53
165
8.78
-
-
8.53
166
10.18
9.77
-
8.38
167
11.08
10.63
10.72
8.34
168
8.48
-
-
8.23
169
5.35
8.68
7.22
8.15
170
-
-
-
8.13
171
10.96
7.54
8.55
7.74
172
9.45
9.04
9.44
7.74
173
7.41
-
-
7.7
174
8.86
-
6.11
7.67
175
9.77
8.44
9.33
7.34
176
7.66
7.72
8.74
7.2
177
7.45
8.38
-
7.17
178
6.39
-
-
7.17
179
7.81
8.67
11.04
7.1
180
9.36
6.41
7.09
6.95
181
2.76
3.59
6.96
6.89
182
6.64
7.74
6.37
6.88
183
4.8
7.73
-
6.78
184
11.8
-
-
6.31
185
-
-
-
6.16
186
-
-
6.28
5.83
187
-
-
-
5.77
188
6.7
6.91
5.9
5.6
189
4.21
4.89
5.33
4.94
190
-
-
-
3.86
191
11.64
11.18
11.45
2.56
192
-
-
-
2.52
193
4.3
3.65
2.98
2.16
194
2.93
3.54
-
0.87
Data Methodology
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Why does Turkmenistan spend so much on education?
Turkmenistan allocates 28.68% of its government budget to education—the world's highest. This reflects the government's stated priority on education and human capital development. However, context matters: Turkmenistan's total government budget is relatively small compared to wealthy nations. So while the percentage is high, absolute spending per student may be lower than in countries like Norway or Switzerland that spend smaller percentages of much larger budgets. The high percentage also reflects limited spending in other areas—countries with large military or healthcare budgets naturally have smaller education percentages even if absolute education spending is high.
Q2: Does higher education spending guarantee better education quality?
Not automatically. While adequate funding is essential, education quality depends on how money is spent, not just how much. Countries like Finland and Singapore achieve excellent results with moderate spending through efficient systems, well-trained teachers, and effective curricula. Meanwhile, some high-spending countries see poor outcomes due to corruption, inefficiency, or misallocation. The key factors are: teacher quality and training, curriculum design, school infrastructure, class sizes, and administrative efficiency. Money matters, but smart spending matters more. A country spending 15% efficiently can outperform a country spending 25% inefficiently.
Data Disclaimer: Projected data (future years) are estimates based on mathematical models. Actual values may differ. Learn about our methodology →
Sources
-
Updated: 28.12.2025https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/browser/EDUCATION/UIS-SDG4Monitoring/t1.a/i1.a.2
Please log in to leave a comment.
Log in
(0) Comments