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Ireland — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Ireland, 1971–2021.
Latest value · 2021
2.90%
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) · % of GDP · -35.3% since 1971
Education spending for Ireland was 2.90% in 2021, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 49 years, from 1971 to 2021. The highest recorded value was 6.16% in 2009. Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.87% per year.
Ireland ranks 137 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 80%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 4.59%, so Ireland sits below it. It peaked in 2009 and has fallen 53% since. Over the last decade (2011–2021) the figure moved down 50%.
Key figures
Latest (2021)
2.90%
First (1971)
4.49%
Change
-35.3%
Highest
6.16%
in 2009
Lowest
2.90%
in 2021
Average
4.72%
Annual growth (CAGR)
-0.87%
Years of data
49
Recent years
| Year | % of GDP |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 2.9% |
| 2020 | 3.19% |
| 2019 | 3.23% |
| 2018 | 3.3% |
| 2017 | 3.38% |
| 2016 | 3.66% |
| 2015 | 3.62% |
| 2014 | 4.74% |
| 2013 | 5.23% |
| 2012 | 5.71% |
| 2011 | 5.77% |
| 2010 | 6.05% |
Reading this correctly. Total general government expenditure on education, expressed as a percentage of GDP. Includes both current and capital spending. Figures are in % of GDP. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
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.