US leads the world in higher-education spending

The United States spent 2.7 per cent of its GDP on higher education in 2014, more than any other OECD country, a report has found.

This year’s edition of the OECD’s annual Education at a Glance report, which surveys the global education landscape, was published on 12 September. It found that the US spent the highest proportion of GDP on higher education, closely followed by Canada at 2.6 per cent and South Korea at 2.3 per cent.

Also high on the list were Chile, which spent 2.0 per cent of its income on higher education; Estonia, which spent 1.9 per cent; and Turkey, Finland, Australia, New Zealand and the UK, each of which spent 1.8 per cent. The OECD average was 1.6 per cent.