ABSTRACT
Education is a vital ingredient in economic growth and development, as it plays an important role in overcoming income inequality and increasing the skills of the workforce. The growth of education services has paralleled the total growth of the services sector. Public expenditure on education as a proportion of GNP has remained fairly constant since 1980 – at around 5 per cent for developed countries and 4 per cent for developing countries (Table 14.1). Public expenditure on education per inhabitant, however, doubled over the same period, with the rate of increase more significant for developed countries. Public expenditure on education https://www.niso.org/standards/z39-96/ns/oasis-exchange/table">
Public expenditure on education as % of GNP
Public expenditure on education per inhabitant ($)
1980
1985
1990
1994
1980
1985
1990
1994
World total
4.8
4.8
4.8
4.9
126
124
202
252
Africa
5.3
5.7
5.6
5.9
48
40
41
41
America
4.9
4.9
5.2
5.3
307
375
521
623
Asia
4.0
3.9
3.7
3.6
37
39
66
93
Europe
5.1
5.1
5.1
5.4
418
340
741
982
Oceania
5.6
5.6
5.6
6.0
467
439
715
878
Developing countries
3.8
4.0
4.0
3.9
31
28
40
48
Industrialised countries
5.1
5.0
5.0
5.1
487
520
914
1,211
Source: UNESCO Statistical Yearbook 1997.