TOP 10 Countries by Education Spending per Student (2025)
EDUCATION · SPENDING PER STUDENT 2025
This overview looks at how much different countries invest per student in school education, from primary up to post-secondary non-tertiary levels. Spending per student, expressed in USD PPP, captures the intensity of resources behind each learner — teachers, support staff, buildings, materials and services.
On average across OECD countries, governments spend around USD 12 000 per student a year in primary and secondary education, but the range is wide: from less than USD 4 000 in some emerging economies to over USD 20 000 in the top spenders. Recent editions of Education at a Glance show countries like Luxembourg, Switzerland, Norway and Korea at the top of the distribution for annual expenditure per student in compulsory schooling.
At the same time, education spending is often benchmarked as a share of GDP. High per-student values can coexist with moderate GDP shares (for very rich countries), while lower-income systems may spend a large share of GDP but still have low per-student amounts. Looking at both metrics together gives a more balanced picture of effort and intensity.
What “education spending per student” actually measures
In UNESCO and OECD statistics, expenditure per student refers to the annual spending on educational institutions divided by the number of full-time-equivalent students. For primary and secondary levels this includes:
- current expenditure (salaries, benefits, learning materials, utilities),
- capital expenditure (buildings, major equipment) allocated to the level, and
- where available, certain student-support transfers and services.
Figures are usually converted to USD PPP (purchasing power parity) so that the same amount buys roughly similar baskets of goods and services across countries. This allows more meaningful cross-country comparisons than simple exchange-rate conversions.
In this article we focus on spending per student in primary to post-secondary non-tertiary education, roughly covering the ages where compulsory education dominates. Tertiary education is deliberately left out because research funding and advanced facilities make cross-country comparisons more volatile.
We also add a second lens: total public and private education expenditure as a share of GDP. This headline indicator shows how much of a country’s economic output is devoted to education at all levels. Combining the two metrics highlights systems that are both high-effort (as a share of GDP) and high-intensity (per student).
How the 2025 ranking was built
The ranking below combines information from recent OECD and UNESCO releases on education finance. Because detailed tables are updated on slightly different calendars, the “2025” label refers to the latest data available as of 2025, often reflecting school years between 2021 and 2023.
- Identify countries with the highest annual expenditure per student in primary to post-secondary non-tertiary education (USD PPP), using OECD averages across public and private institutions.
- Cross-check that these countries also report recent values for total education spending as a percentage of GDP, usually based on World Bank and UIS compilations.
- Rank countries primarily by per-student spending and show the total education-to-GDP ratio as contextual information.
Values are rounded and presented as illustrative, policy-oriented figures consistent with OECD and UIS ranges rather than as an official league table. For detailed analysis or exact numbers, readers should always consult the original underlying datasets.
Top 10 countries by education spending per student (2025)
To keep the table readable on mobile, it focuses on four key columns and allows text wrapping instead of horizontal scrolling. The ranking highlights systems that combine high income with strong fiscal effort on schooling.
| Rank | Country | Spending per student (USD PPP, primary to post-sec non-tertiary) |
Education spending total, % of GDP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luxembourg | 27 500 | 5.3 |
| 2 | Norway | 22 800 | 6.4 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 21 100 | 5.5 |
| 4 | Korea | 21 000 | 5.0 |
| 5 | Denmark | 19 500 | 6.8 |
| 6 | Sweden | 18 900 | 6.6 |
| 7 | United States | 16 000 | 5.0 |
| 8 | Netherlands | 15 200 | 5.2 |
| 9 | Austria | 15 000 | 5.3 |
| 10 | Belgium | 14 800 | 6.2 |
Per-student amounts are rounded and expressed in constant USD PPP, consistent with OECD Education at a Glance tables on expenditure per student. Education spending as % of GDP refers to total public and private expenditure on all levels of education. For precise country figures, consult the latest OECD and UNESCO UIS releases.
What high spending per student tells us (and what it doesn’t)
High expenditure per student is often associated with small classes, well-paid teachers and rich learning environments. But the picture is more nuanced. The top-10 countries fall into several broad models of how they reach high per-student values.
Small, very rich systems
Luxembourg and Switzerland illustrate the impact of a very high GDP per capita on education finance. Even with moderate education-to-GDP ratios, converting that share into USD PPP per student yields world-leading amounts. These systems can afford generous teacher salaries, strong school infrastructure and extensive support services without pushing education spending to extreme shares of GDP.
In such contexts, policy debates focus less on “how much” and more on how effectively funds are used: for example, whether additional spending should target early childhood education, special needs or digital infrastructure.
High-effort Nordic model
Norway, Denmark and Sweden combine solid GDP levels with some of the highest education shares of GDP in the OECD. This double effect lifts their per-student spending into the global top tier. Nordic countries also invest heavily in early childhood education and care, teacher professionalism and comprehensive support schemes, which are only partially captured by per-student figures for primary and secondary schooling.
Their model shows how sustained political consensus around education as a welfare cornerstone can keep both per-student spending and access indicators high over decades.
Large, diversified systems
The United States stands out as a large, decentralised system where per-student spending at the school level is above the OECD average, but funding patterns differ sharply across states and districts. Local property-tax bases and state budgets interact with federal programmes, producing strong inequalities alongside high national averages.
The Netherlands, Austria and Belgium are smaller but also feature diverse networks of public, publicly funded private and faith-based schools. Their per-student spending is high by international standards, but internal distribution depends on school type, language community and region.
High intensity with mixed public/private finance
Korea reaches very high per-student spending through a mix of public and private inputs. Public spending per student is strong, but families also invest heavily in supplementary education and private tutoring. From the perspective of the education system as a whole, young people experience a high-intensity learning environment even if part of the funding flows outside school budgets.
This pattern raises questions about equity: high total spending per student does not necessarily mean that all students benefit equally if a large share comes from private expenditures that some families cannot afford.
Public vs private contributions to education spending
Publicly dominated systems
In Nordic countries and many continental European systems, the public sector covers most education costs at school level. Private spending exists, but it is a relatively small add-on. For households, this means low direct fees for compulsory education and often free or heavily subsidised textbooks, transport and meals.
In financial statistics, these systems show up as high public expenditure per student and significant public spending as a share of GDP. The policy focus is typically on efficiency, teacher supply and support for vulnerable learners, not on shifting costs to families.
Systems with higher private shares
In contrast, some high-spending systems rely more on private contributions. This is common at tertiary level, but also appears in school education through fees in certain private or international schools, parental contributions and extensive shadow education markets.
When interpreting spending per student, it is therefore important to distinguish between:
- public expenditure per student (what governments and public authorities pay), and
- total expenditure per student (including household and private-sector spending).
High total figures with modest public shares point to greater financial pressure on families and a different balance of responsibility between state and household budgets.
Chart: spending per student in the top 10, 2025 snapshot
The bar chart summarises the table in visual form. All ten countries spend well above the OECD average on schooling per student, but the distance between the top and the middle of the group remains substantial.
On mobile, the chart stretches to the full width of the container, with dark, high-contrast labels for readability. Values are indicative, aligned with ranges reported in recent OECD finance indicators.
Bars show annual expenditure per student in primary to post-secondary non-tertiary education (USD PPP). For exact values and methodological details, consult the original Education at a Glance tables.
Does higher spending automatically mean better outcomes?
Spending sets the stage, not the script
Research consistently finds that very low spending per student is associated with poor infrastructure, crowded classrooms and limited learning time. Beyond a certain threshold, however, the link between spending and learning outcomes becomes weaker and depends more on how funds are used.
Among the top spenders, the key questions are about allocation and governance: how much goes to early intervention, teacher development, inclusive education or modern learning environments. Two countries with similar per-student spending can achieve very different results if one allocates more to targeted support and effective pedagogy.
The efficiency and equity lens
High per-student spending also needs to be assessed through an equity lens. If resources are concentrated in affluent urban areas or prestige schools, average figures may hide deep internal divides.
Modern education-finance debates therefore emphasise:
- transparent, formula-based funding that follows student needs,
- monitoring of within-country gaps in spending per student, and
- linking additional resources to evidence-based interventions.
In short, high spending is a powerful enabler, but not a guarantee of strong or fair learning outcomes.
Policy lessons for countries catching up on spending per student
1. Raise the floor before chasing the ceiling
For lower- and middle-income countries, the priority is not to match Luxembourg or Norway overnight, but to raise the minimum spending per student to levels where basic conditions for learning are in place: safe buildings, enough learning time, adequate textbooks and qualified teachers in every classroom.
International evidence suggests that incremental increases in spending aimed at these basics have disproportionate returns, especially in systems starting from very low levels of resource availability.
2. Protect education budgets over the economic cycle
Because education investments pay off over decades, they are particularly vulnerable to short-term budget cuts. Top-spending countries tend to protect or even increase education spending during downturns, treating schools as a stabilising social infrastructure rather than a flexible line item.
3. Use targeted formulas, not across-the-board increases
Simply adding the same amount per student everywhere can widen gaps if advantaged schools are better placed to absorb and use additional funds. Weighted funding formulas — for example, giving extra weight to students from low-income families, rural areas or minority language groups — help direct resources where they are most needed.
4. Invest in data and transparency
Many countries still lack granular, comparable data on spending per student by region, school type and level. Building robust finance statistics aligned with UNESCO UIS and OECD methodologies allows governments to benchmark themselves, identify inequities and evaluate the impact of reforms over time.
How to read education-finance indicators correctly
Spending per student and education-to-GDP ratios are powerful, but they can be misread if taken in isolation. A few caveats help put them in context:
- Time lag: finance data are often available only with a delay of one to three years. A “2025” comparison may reflect budgets and enrolments from 2022 or 2023.
- Coverage differences: some countries report only public expenditure, others include a broader set of private flows. Cross-country comparisons require careful reading of footnotes and definitions.
- GDP denominator effects: rapid changes in GDP (for example, due to commodity cycles or crises) can move the % of GDP spent on education even when education budgets remain stable in local currency.
- Spending vs learning: higher investment is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for better learning outcomes. Complementary indicators on student achievement, equity and wellbeing are essential to assess the real impact of finance decisions.
For analysts and policymakers, the most robust approach is to embed finance indicators in a multi-dimensional dashboard that includes access, attainment and learning metrics, as well as qualitative information on governance and classroom practices.
Primary sources and further reading
The figures and interpretations in this article are grounded in open, regularly updated datasets and reports on education finance. For detailed country-level analysis, readers should consult:
- OECD — Education at a Glance (latest editions): chapters on financial resources and expenditure per student (indicators C1–C4), including tables on annual spending per student by level of education and public/private shares. Recent 2023 and 2025 updates document the wide range of per-student spending across OECD and partner countries.
- OECD education-finance briefs (2025 updates): short notes on key system-level indicators of education finance, including average expenditure per student in primary and lower-secondary education, and ranges from below USD 4 000 to above USD 20 000 per student.
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) — Education finance database: harmonised indicators on government expenditure on education as a share of GDP and as a share of total public spending, plus glossaries explaining concepts such as “expenditure per student” and the role of PPP conversions.
- World Bank — World Development Indicators (education section): complementary series on government expenditure per student (as % of GDP per capita) for primary, secondary and tertiary levels, useful for tracking long-term trends beyond the OECD country group.
When building your own StatRanker charts or dashboards, always document the reference year, education levels, PPP conversion year and whether figures represent public, private or total expenditure. This ensures that your rankings remain transparent and easy to update as new data releases become available.
