OECD Education at a Glance 2023
date: 20/12/2023
On 12 September, the OECD released its annual Education at a Glance report for 2023. This edition takes a focused approach, centring on vocational education and training (VET), which is a vital part of a country’s education system that offers students an alternative to academic-focused education. The report explores facets such as participation in VET and the intricate structures of VET programs. A noteworthy addition to the 2023 edition is a dedicated chapter titled "Ensuring continued learning for Ukrainian refugees." This chapter offers insights from an OECD 2023 survey, highlighting the measures implemented by OECD countries to effectively integrate Ukrainian refugees into their respective education systems.
In 2020, OECD countries allocated an average of 10% of total government expenditure from primary to tertiary education, with significant variation between countries (6% in Hungary to 16% in Chile). The majority of funding (7.3%) was directed to non-tertiary education due to high enrolment rates, shorter tertiary education duration, and greater reliance on private funding for tertiary education. Early childhood education (ECE) is excluded from these statistics due to diverse systems, representing 1.6% of total government expenditure on average.
Pre-primary education expenditure exceeded early childhood educational development programs in most OECD countries, except Denmark and Norway. General and vocational upper secondary education each received 1.1% of total government expenditure, with varying allocations between countries. Belgium and Turkey devoted the most (1.8%) to vocational programs, while Israel (2.9%) and Chile (2.5%) focused on general education.
When considering education spending relative to GDP, the proportion varies among countries. Ireland, allocating 12% to education (above the OECD average of 10%), has a relatively low 3.2% expenditure relative to GDP, potentially due to an inflated GDP from tech companies headquartered in Ireland for tax purposes.
