Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP was 23.4% in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
23.4%
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
12th
of 122 countries
All-time high
24.7%
in 2015
All-time low
12.3%
in 1999
Years of data
19
1998–2017

Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1998–2017

05101520251998200720171998: 12.41999: 12.32000: 12.62001: 13.22002: 14.32003: 16.22004: 15.82005: 16.92006: 19.62007: 20.82008: 20.62009: 22.12010: 24.22011: 24.52013: 22.92014: 23.32015: 24.72016: 23.92017: 23.4

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2017, initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 23.4%.

The figure is down 2.3% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 24.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 12.3%, in 1999.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 12th of 122 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1998 to 2017.
Year Value Change
1998 12.4%
1999 12.3% -1.5%
2000 12.6% +3.0%
2001 13.2% +4.5%
2002 14.3% +8.3%
2003 16.2% +13.3%
2004 15.8% -2.4%
2005 16.9% +7.0%
2006 19.6% +16.0%
2007 20.8% +5.9%
2008 20.6% -0.7%
2009 22.1% +7.1%
2010 24.2% +9.4%
2011 24.5% +1.2%
2013 22.9% -6.3%
2014 23.3% +1.7%
2015 24.7% +6.2%
2016 23.9% -3.4%
2017 23.4% -2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 12.4% 12.3% 12.4% 2
2000s 17.2% 12.6% 22.1% 10
2010s 23.8% 22.9% 24.7% 7

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 9 Portugal 24.2% compare
  2. 10 Iceland 23.7% compare
  3. 11 Denmark 23.7% compare
  4. 13 Poland 23.3% compare
  5. 14 Thailand 23.3% compare
  6. 15 Austria 23.1% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 23.4% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 24.7% in 2015.
What is the lowest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 12.3% in 1999.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 12th out of 122 countries with data for 2017.
Is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/initial-government-funding-per-primary-student-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-per-capita/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 1,518 data points, 1995–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central, current and capital) initial government funding of education per student, which includes transfers paid (such as scholarships to students), but excludes transfers received, in this case international transfers to government for education (when foreign donors provide education sector budget support or other support integrated in the government budget). Calculation Method: Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure (current and capital) on a given level of education (primary, secondary, etc) minus international transfers to government for education, divided by the number of student enrolled at that level of education. This is then expressed as a share of GDP per capita. 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. There are also cases where it may not be possible to separate international transfers to government from general government expenditure on education, in which cases they have not been subtracted in the formula. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/