Germany — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Germany, 1993–2022.
Education spending for Germany was 5.24% in 2022, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 19 years, from 1993 to 2022. The highest recorded value was 5.52% in 2020. The lowest was 4.32% in 1994 (about 1.2× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.61% per year.
Germany ranks 47 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 27%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 4.59%, so Germany sits above it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 5% since. Over the last decade (2012–2022) the figure moved up 8%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 14 of 45 economies; Estonia (5.21%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 12% in 2010. That is 5% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 114 years at that pace.
World ranking. Slipped: 32nd of 58 in 1993 → 45th of 130 in 2010 → 38th of 157 in 2020 → 39th of 150 in 2022.
Key figures
Full history — 1993 to 2022
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5.24% | -0.1 pp |
| 2021 | 5.37% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 5.52% | +0.5 pp |
| 2019 | 5.03% | +0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 4.88% | +0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 4.78% | +0.0 pp |
| 2016 | 4.76% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 4.76% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 4.83% | -0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 4.84% | +0.0 pp |
| 2012 | 4.83% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 4.89% | -0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 5% | +0.5 pp |
| 2008 | 4.47% | +0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 4.44% | -0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 4.48% | +0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 4.42% | +0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 4.32% | -0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 4.39% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Germany’s Education spending in 1994?
4.32% (1994). 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 Germany’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1993 and 2022 the series was growing overall: +19.3% in total — about 0.6% 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: 5.24%; 2021: 5.37%; 2020: 5.52%; 2019: 5.03%; 2018: 4.88%. 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.