Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Austria
Austria: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
5.3%
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
51st
of 199 countries
All-time high
6.1%
in 1998
All-time low
4.2%
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2022
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Austria, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Austria stood at 5.3%.
The figure is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Austria peaked at 6.1% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 1970.
Austria ranks 51st of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Austria, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.2% | — |
| 1971 | 4.3% | +3.3% |
| 1972 | 4.5% | +3.9% |
| 1973 | 4.5% | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 4.7% | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 5.1% | +10.1% |
| 1976 | 5.3% | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 5.0% | -5.4% |
| 1978 | 5.2% | +4.2% |
| 1979 | 5.1% | -2.4% |
| 1980 | 5.0% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 5.4% | +7.2% |
| 1982 | 5.4% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 5.3% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 5.3% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 5.3% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 5.5% | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 5.4% | -2.3% |
| 1988 | 5.2% | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 5.0% | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 5.0% | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 5.1% | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 5.3% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 5.3% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 5.4% | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 5.3% | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 6.1% | +16.0% |
| 1999 | 6.1% | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 5.6% | -8.4% |
| 2001 | 5.6% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 5.6% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 5.4% | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 5.3% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 5.3% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 5.3% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 5.2% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 5.3% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 5.8% | +8.8% |
| 2010 | 5.7% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 5.6% | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 5.5% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 5.6% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 5.5% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 5.5% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 5.5% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 5.4% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 5.3% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 5.6% | +6.5% |
| 2021 | 5.5% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 5.3% | -3.7% |
Austria compared with similar countries
- Austria's 5.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.2× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Austria's 5.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.5%, 1.2× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.8% | 4.2% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.3% | 5.0% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.5% | 5.0% | 6.1% | 8 |
| 2000s | 5.4% | 5.2% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 5.2% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.3% | 5.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Austria
More reference data data for Austria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6222 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2597 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1986 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.84 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Austria?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Austria was 5.3% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Austria?
- The highest recorded value was 6.1% in 1998.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Austria?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 1970.
- How does Austria rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Austria ranks 51st out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Austria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.