Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ in Spain

Spain: Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ was 12,263 millions in 2017. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2017)
12,263 millions
Change on year
up 4.4%
World rank
14th
of 153 countries
All-time high
14,110 millions
in 2011
All-time low
1,136 millions
in 1974
Years of data
38
1970–2017

Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ in Spain, 1970–2017

05.0k10.0k15.0k1970199320171970: 1.4k millions1971: 1.6k millions1972: 1.5k millions1974: 1.1k millions1976: 1.7k millions1977: 1.8k millions1978: 1.8k millions1979: 1.8k millions1987: 3.1k millions1988: 3.5k millions1989: 4.2k millions1990: 5.1k millions1991: 5.6k millions1992: 5.9k millions1993: 5.9k millions1994: 6.3k millions1995: 6.6k millions1996: 7.5k millions1998: 7.8k millions1999: 8.2k millions2000: 9.1k millions2001: 9.8k millions2002: 10.1k millions2003: 10.7k millions2004: 10.9k millions2005: 11.0k millions2006: 11.5k millions2007: 12.4k millions2008: 13.4k millions2009: 13.9k millions2010: 14.1k millions2011: 14.1k millions2012: 11.9k millions2013: 11.5k millions2014: 11.5k millions2015: 11.9k millions2016: 11.8k millions2017: 12.3k millions

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.

Analysis

Spain recorded 12,263 millions for government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ in 2017.

That represents a change of up 4.4% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ in Spain peaked at 14,110 millions in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1,136 millions, in 1974.

Spain ranks 14th of 153 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ in Spain, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ (millions) in Spain, 1970 to 2017.
Year millions Change
1970 1,413 millions —
1971 1,568 millions +11.0%
1972 1,510 millions -3.7%
1974 1,136 millions -24.7%
1976 1,655 millions +45.6%
1977 1,835 millions +10.9%
1978 1,846 millions +0.6%
1979 1,765 millions -4.4%
1987 3,069 millions +73.9%
1988 3,535 millions +15.2%
1989 4,189 millions +18.5%
1990 5,099 millions +21.7%
1991 5,561 millions +9.1%
1992 5,855 millions +5.3%
1993 5,915 millions +1.0%
1994 6,255 millions +5.7%
1995 6,602 millions +5.6%
1996 7,476 millions +13.2%
1998 7,758 millions +3.8%
1999 8,174 millions +5.4%
2000 9,129 millions +11.7%
2001 9,800 millions +7.3%
2002 10,141 millions +3.5%
2003 10,715 millions +5.7%
2004 10,855 millions +1.3%
2005 10,956 millions +0.9%
2006 11,459 millions +4.6%
2007 12,400 millions +8.2%
2008 13,441 millions +8.4%
2009 13,880 millions +3.3%
2010 14,108 millions +1.6%
2011 14,110 millions +0.0%
2012 11,896 millions -15.7%
2013 11,482 millions -3.5%
2014 11,540 millions +0.5%
2015 11,866 millions +2.8%
2016 11,752 millions -1.0%
2017 12,263 millions +4.4%

Spain compared with similar countries

  • Spain's 12,263 millions is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,521 millions, 8.1× the median. (59 countries reporting)
  • Spain's 12,263 millions is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 942.05 millions, 13.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ in Spain changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1987 +73.9% 1,765 millions 3,069 millions
1976 +45.6% 1,136 millions 1,655 millions

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1,591 millions 1,136 millions 1,846 millions 8
1980s 3,597 millions 3,069 millions 4,189 millions 3
1990s 6,522 millions 5,099 millions 8,174 millions 9
2000s 11,277 millions 9,129 millions 13,880 millions 10
2010s 12,377 millions 11,482 millions 14,110 millions 8

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 11 Italy 14,745 millions compare
  2. 12 South Korea 13,947 millions compare
  3. 13 Netherlands 13,241 millions compare
  4. 15 Russia 12,238 millions compare
  5. 16 China 11,261 millions compare
  6. 17 Mexico 10,549 millions compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More reference data data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ in Spain?
Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ in Spain was 12,263 millions in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 14,110 millions in 2011.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 1,136 millions in 1974.
How does Spain rank for government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$?
Spain ranks 14th out of 153 countries with data for 2017.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education, constant us$ rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Spain data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ in Spain. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-constant-us-millions/spain/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant US$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
153 places, 3,093 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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