Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ was 42,002 millions in 2017. β–² Rising

Latest (2017)
42,002 millions
Change on year
up 6.3%
World rank
6th
of 144 countries
All-time high
42,002 millions
in 2017
All-time low
14,553 millions
in 1991
Years of data
24
1991–2017

Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ in United Kingdom, 1991–2017

10.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k1991200420171991: 14.6k millions1992: 15.9k millions1994: 19.4k millions1995: 20.6k millions1996: 19.3k millions1998: 18.2k millions1999: 16.4k millions2000: 14.9k millions2001: 15.5k millions2002: 21.5k millions2003: 21.8k millions2004: 21.7k millions2005: 26.8k millions2006: 25.1k millions2007: 22.0k millions2008: 20.3k millions2009: 19.2k millions2010: 23.6k millions2011: 31.8k millions2013: 35.1k millions2014: 36.9k millions2015: 35.2k millions2016: 39.5k millions2017: 42.0k millions

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ in United Kingdom is 42,002 millions, measured in 2017. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.3% on the previous year and up 90.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ in United Kingdom peaked at 42,002 millions in 2017 and was at its lowest, 14,553 millions, in 1991.

That places United Kingdom 6th out of 144 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 17,769 millions 14,553 millions 20,625 millions 7
2000s 20,900 millions 14,923 millions 26,780 millions 10
2010s 34,874 millions 23,590 millions 42,002 millions 7

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 3 India 63,501 millions compare
  2. 4 Germany 54,845 millions compare
  3. 5 Brazil 45,885 millions compare
  4. 7 France 36,760 millions compare
  5. 8 Japan 32,306 millions compare
  6. 9 Russian Federation 29,689 millions compare

See the full ranking of 144 places β†’

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ in United Kingdom?
Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ in United Kingdom was 42,002 millions in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 42,002 millions in 2017.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 14,553 millions in 1991.
How does United Kingdom rank for government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$?
United Kingdom ranks 6th out of 144 countries with data for 2017.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 90.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-constant-ppp-millions/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
144 places, 2,101 data points, 1984–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on tertiary education (current, capital, and transfers), in millions PPP$ (at purchasing power parity) in constant value (taking into account inflation). 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 PPP$, and where it is expressed in constant value, uses a GDP deflator to account for inflation. The constant prices base year is normally three years before the year of the data release. For example, in the July 2017 data release, constant PPP$ values are expressed in 2014 prices. 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/