Education spending per student in the United States
In 2022, education spending per student in the United States was 19,772 $, up from 19,498 $ in 2021. This gives the United States the highest among G20 countries, and the 2nd-highest globally (out of 43 economies with available data).
Education spending per student
Primary to tertiary spending per student, in constant international dollars
United States
Note: Constant international dollars at 2020 prices - adjusted for inflation and differences in purchasing power (PPP).
How United States compares
About this indicator
This indicator measures spending on educational institutions per student, from primary to tertiary education. Spending covers both public and private educational institutions, all types of expenditure, and all funding sources: government, private sources (households and other non-educational private entities), and funds from the rest of the world. Student numbers are expressed as full-time equivalents (FTE), so part-time students are converted into an equivalent number of full-time students.
Values are expressed in constant 2020 international dollars. Constant means that the figures are adjusted for inflation, allowing comparisons over time. International dollars are based on Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs), which adjust for differences in price levels across countries. This makes the indicator useful for comparing the real resources devoted to education per student across countries and over time.
Values are expressed in constant 2020 international dollars. Constant means that the figures are adjusted for inflation, allowing comparisons over time. International dollars are based on Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs), which adjust for differences in price levels across countries. This makes the indicator useful for comparing the real resources devoted to education per student across countries and over time.
Sources and updates
Data sources
The data for this indicator are drawn from the OECD Expenditure on educational institutions per full-time equivalent student dataset.
Last update
This indicator was last updated on Econorama on 15 July 2026 and reflects the latest data available from the underlying sources at that time.
More on the United States
Education
Student performance in Mathematics
Average score of 15-year-olds in the PISA assessment
Rank34th of 77
Student performance in Reading
Average score of 15-year-olds in the PISA assessment
Rank9th of 77
Student performance in Science
Average score of 15-year-olds in the PISA assessment
Rank16th of 77
Tertiary-educated adults
Share of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education
Rank8th of 47
Youth neither studying nor working
Share of youth aged 15 to 24 not in education, employment or training (NEET rate)
Rank95th of 135
Teachers' salaries
Primary teachers' gross salaries after 15 years of experience, in international US dollars
Rank9th of 36
Economic activity
Population & Demographics
Health
Public Finance
Government debt (% of GDP)
Gross debt of the general government
Rank11th of 190
Public debt per capita
Gross debt of the general government, in current international dollars
Rank3rd of 191
Government budget balance (% of GDP)
Positive values indicate a surplus; negative values indicate a deficit
Rank172nd of 194