Italy — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Italy, 1970–2022.
Education spending for Italy was 4.07% in 2022, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 41 years, from 1970 to 2022. The highest recorded value was 4.76% in 1984. The lowest was 2.89% in 1971 (about 1.4× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.37% per year.
Italy ranks 95 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 55%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 4.59%, so Italy sits below it. It peaked in 1984 and has fallen 15% since. Over the last decade (2012–2022) the figure moved up 1%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 32 of 45 economies; Georgia (3.98%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 32% in 1974.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 188 years at that pace.
World ranking. Slipped: 20th of 31 in 1970 → 50th of 116 in 2000 → 62nd of 130 in 2010 → 78th of 157 in 2020 → 76th of 150 in 2022.
Key figures
Full history — 1970 to 2022
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4.07% | -0.1 pp |
| 2021 | 4.17% | -0.2 pp |
| 2020 | 4.42% | +0.3 pp |
| 2019 | 4.08% | -0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 4.24% | +0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 4.03% | +0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -0.3 pp |
| 2015 | 4.05% | +0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 4.04% | -0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 4.12% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 4.03% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 4.09% | -0.2 pp |
| 2010 | 4.32% | -0.2 pp |
| 2009 | 4.5% | +0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 4.37% | +0.3 pp |
| 2007 | 4.09% | -0.4 pp |
| 2006 | 4.5% | +0.3 pp |
| 2005 | 4.22% | -0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 4.37% | -0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 4.53% | +0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 4.42% | -0.2 pp |
| 2001 | 4.63% | +0.4 pp |
| 2000 | 4.28% | -0.2 pp |
| 1999 | 4.5% | +0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 4.44% | +0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 4.44% | +0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 4.31% | -0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 4.42% | -0.3 pp |
| 1993 | 4.72% | +0.1 pp |
| 1988 | 4.58% | -0.1 pp |
| 1986 | 4.64% | -0.0 pp |
| 1985 | 4.68% | -0.1 pp |
| 1984 | 4.76% | +0.3 pp |
| 1983 | 4.48% | +0.3 pp |
| 1979 | 4.15% | +0.4 pp |
| 1978 | 3.77% | -0.1 pp |
| 1976 | 3.91% | +0.2 pp |
| 1975 | 3.7% | -0.1 pp |
| 1974 | 3.83% | +0.9 pp |
| 1971 | 2.89% | -0.5 pp |
| 1970 | 3.36% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Italy’s Education spending in 1971?
2.89% (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 Italy’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1970 and 2022 the series was growing overall: +21.1% in total — about 0.4% 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: 4.07%; 2021: 4.17%; 2020: 4.42%; 2019: 4.08%; 2018: 4.24%. 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.