Education in States and Nations: 1991

(ESN) Indicator 34: Distribution of current public expenditure on education

The distribution of current public expenditure between the primary through secondary level and the higher education level reflects national education goals and strategies regarding the priority given to each education level. It is also influenced by the number of students enrolled at each level and by the age distribution of the population. It is important to note that this indicator does not give a complete picture of the distribution of public resources between the two levels, since some countries did not classify the distribution of portions of their expenditure, reporting them, instead, as "undistributed."

• Among the six G-7 countries with comparative data for 1991, Japan, France, and Italy allocated a higher percentage of their current public education expenditure at the primary through secondary level than did the United States, which distributed 74.4 percent to that level of education. Canada and West Germany spent a lower percentage than did the United States at the primary through secondary level.

• The proportion of current public education spending allocated to higher education in the United States was just above 25 percent. Among the six G-7 countries included here, Canada had a higher proportion - 34 percent - and so, perhaps, did West Germany, if their "undistributed" expenditures were allocated across levels.

• Whereas the higher education proportion of public education spending for as many as 7 of the other 13 countries represented here was below 20 percent, only 6 of the U.S. states had proportions that low. Conversely, whereas 11 U.S. states allocated 30 percent or more of current public education spending to higher education, only 3 countries - the Netherlands, Australia, and Canada - allocated proportions that high.

Notes on interpretation:

The duration, the number of years of school comprised by a school level, can vary from country to country and from state to state. Some countries, for example, have an extra year or two of secondary school for some of their students. The longer the duration of a school level, the larger a share of educational expenditure one would expect at that level.

This indicator should not be interpreted as a measure of the resources devoted to education, but rather as an indicator of the distribution of those resources between education levels.

Table 33b

Figure 34