Austria — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Austria, 1970–2022.
Education spending for Austria was 5.28% in 2022, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 51 years, from 1970 to 2022. The highest recorded value was 6.14% in 1998. The lowest was 4.16% in 1970 (about 1.3× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.46% per year.
Austria ranks 44 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 26%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 4.59%, so Austria sits above it. It peaked in 1998 and has fallen 14% since. Over the last decade (2012–2022) the figure moved down 4%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 13 of 45 economies; Germany (5.24%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 16% in 1998. That is 3% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 152 years at that pace.
World ranking. Slipped: 12th of 31 in 1970 → 23rd of 63 in 1980 → 11th of 50 in 1990 → 22nd of 116 in 2000 → 25th of 130 in 2010 → 36th of 157 in 2020 → 38th of 150 in 2022.
Key figures
Full history — 1970 to 2022
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5.28% | -0.2 pp |
| 2021 | 5.48% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 5.58% | +0.3 pp |
| 2019 | 5.24% | -0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 5.25% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 5.4% | -0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 5.51% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 5.49% | -0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 5.5% | -0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 5.59% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 5.52% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 5.63% | -0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 5.74% | -0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 5.77% | +0.5 pp |
| 2008 | 5.3% | +0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 5.18% | -0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 5.26% | -0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 5.29% | -0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 5.34% | -0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 5.39% | -0.2 pp |
| 2002 | 5.56% | -0.0 pp |
| 2001 | 5.6% | -0.0 pp |
| 2000 | 5.62% | -0.5 pp |
| 1999 | 6.14% | -0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 6.14% | +0.8 pp |
| 1996 | 5.29% | -0.2 pp |
| 1995 | 5.45% | +0.2 pp |
| 1993 | 5.27% | -0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 5.32% | +0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 5.12% | +0.1 pp |
| 1990 | 4.98% | -0.1 pp |
| 1989 | 5.04% | -0.2 pp |
| 1988 | 5.21% | -0.2 pp |
| 1987 | 5.4% | -0.1 pp |
| 1986 | 5.52% | +0.2 pp |
| 1985 | 5.32% | +0.0 pp |
| 1984 | 5.32% | -0.0 pp |
| 1983 | 5.32% | -0.1 pp |
| 1982 | 5.38% | -0.0 pp |
| 1981 | 5.39% | +0.4 pp |
| 1980 | 5.03% | -0.0 pp |
| 1979 | 5.06% | -0.1 pp |
| 1978 | 5.18% | +0.2 pp |
| 1977 | 4.97% | -0.3 pp |
| 1976 | 5.26% | +0.1 pp |
| 1975 | 5.15% | +0.5 pp |
| 1974 | 4.67% | +0.1 pp |
| 1973 | 4.53% | +0.1 pp |
| 1972 | 4.47% | +0.2 pp |
| 1971 | 4.3% | +0.1 pp |
| 1970 | 4.16% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Austria’s Education spending in 1971?
4.3% (1971). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Austria’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1970 and 2022 the series was growing overall: +26.8% in total — about 0.5% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2022: 5.28%; 2021: 5.48%; 2020: 5.58%; 2019: 5.24%; 2018: 5.25%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.