France vs South Korea: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
France
5.3%
in 2022
South Korea
5.4%
in 2022
France rank
47th
South Korea rank
44th
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education over time
- France
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 5.4% against 5.3% in France, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1970 it was France ahead.
France ranks 47th and South Korea ranks 44th of 199 countries.
France has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.9% | 2.9% | 1.0% | France |
| 1980s | 4.7% | 3.7% | 1.0% | France |
| 1990s | 5.3% | 3.2% | 2.1% | France |
| 2010s | 5.4% | 4.2% | 1.2% | France |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 4.8% | 0.6% | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending on education overall vs. primary education, France or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 5.4% against 5.3% in France as of 2022.
- What is the difference in government spending on education overall vs. primary education between France and South Korea?
- 0.1%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and South Korea?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2022.
- How do France and South Korea rank globally for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- France ranks 47th and South Korea ranks 44th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.