Japan vs United Kingdom: Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$

Japan
31,329 millions
in 2017
United Kingdom
39,056 millions
in 2017
Japan rank
7th
United Kingdom rank
4th

Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ over time

  • Japan
  • United Kingdom
010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k197119942017

How they compare

United Kingdom currently reports 39,056 millions against 31,329 millions in Japan, a difference of 7,727 millions.

That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.2 times Japan's.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1971 it was United Kingdom ahead.

Japan ranks 7th and United Kingdom ranks 4th of 158 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 4 and United Kingdom in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Japan United Kingdom Difference Ahead
1970s 1,866 millions 2,460 millions 593.88 millions United Kingdom
1980s 17,574 millions 6,229 millions 11,344 millions Japan
1990s 19,620 millions 13,142 millions 6,477 millions Japan
2000s 26,202 millions 19,351 millions 6,851 millions Japan
2010s 36,931 millions 34,449 millions 2,482 millions Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government expenditure on tertiary education, us$, Japan or United Kingdom?
United Kingdom, at 39,056 millions against 31,329 millions in Japan as of 2017.
What is the difference in government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ between Japan and United Kingdom?
7,727 millions, with United Kingdom ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United Kingdom?
33 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2017.
How do Japan and United Kingdom rank globally for government expenditure on tertiary education, us$?
Japan ranks 7th and United Kingdom ranks 4th of 158 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ (millions). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Japan vs United Kingdom: Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-us-millions/japan/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
158 places, 3,257 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on tertiary education (current, capital, and transfers) in millions US$ (nominal value). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Total government expenditure for a given level of education (e.g. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) in national currency is converted to US$. Limitations: In some instances data on total government expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/