Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Austria

Austria: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP was 1.7% in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
1.7%
Change on year
down 4.2%
World rank
11th
of 160 countries
All-time high
1.8%
in 2012
All-time low
0.6%
in 1970
Years of data
46
1970–2017

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Austria, 1970–2017

0.50.7511.21.51.8197019932017

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Austria recorded 1.7% for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in 2017.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.2% on the previous year and up 19.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Austria peaked at 1.8% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1970.

That places Austria 11th out of 160 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Austria, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%) in Austria, 1970 to 2017.
Year % Change
1970 0.6%
1971 0.6% +3.4%
1972 0.7% +5.8%
1973 0.7% +0.6%
1974 0.7% +6.1%
1975 0.8% +13.4%
1976 0.8% +1.9%
1977 0.8% -10.8%
1978 0.8% +1.7%
1979 0.8% -1.6%
1980 0.7% -0.7%
1981 0.8% +2.5%
1982 0.8% +4.6%
1983 0.8% +3.7%
1984 0.9% +11.0%
1985 0.9% +1.4%
1986 1.1% +16.4%
1987 1.1% -2.4%
1988 1.1% -0.1%
1989 1.0% -2.5%
1990 1.0% -2.6%
1991 1.1% +7.8%
1992 1.1% +2.2%
1993 1.1% -3.0%
1995 1.2% +8.3%
1996 1.1% -5.2%
1998 1.6% +44.6%
1999 1.6% -0.0%
2000 1.4% -12.7%
2001 1.3% -5.7%
2002 1.2% -5.4%
2003 1.3% +1.2%
2004 1.4% +9.8%
2005 1.4% +3.4%
2006 1.4% -0.9%
2007 1.4% +0.6%
2008 1.4% +0.2%
2009 1.5% +4.9%
2010 1.6% +5.2%
2011 1.5% -4.9%
2012 1.8% +21.5%
2013 1.8% -1.7%
2014 1.8% -1.2%
2015 1.8% +0.5%
2016 1.8% +0.1%
2017 1.7% -4.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.7% 0.6% 0.8% 10
1980s 0.9% 0.7% 1.1% 10
1990s 1.2% 1.0% 1.6% 8
2000s 1.4% 1.2% 1.5% 10
2010s 1.7% 1.5% 1.8% 8

Countries ranked near Austria

  1. 8 Norway 2.1% compare
  2. 9 Egypt 1.9% compare
  3. 10 Sweden 1.8% compare
  4. 12 Finland 1.7% compare
  5. 13 Canada 1.7% compare
  6. 14 Namibia 1.6% compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Austria

All data for Austria →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Austria?
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Austria was 1.7% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Austria?
The highest recorded value was 1.8% in 2012.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Austria?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1970.
How does Austria rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp?
Austria ranks 11th out of 160 countries with data for 2017.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp rising or falling in Austria?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Austria data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Austria. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/austria/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
160 places, 3,221 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on tertiary education (current, capital, and transfers), expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Divide total government expenditure for a given level of education (ex. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) by the GDP, and multiply by 100. A higher percentage of GDP spent on education shows a higher government priority for education, but also a higher capacity of the government to raise revenues for public spending, in relation to the size of the country's economy. When interpreting this indicator however, one should keep in mind in some countries, the private sector and/or households may fund a higher proportion of total funding for education, thus making government expenditure appear lower than in other countries. Limitations: In some instances data on total public 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/