Data
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation
What you should know about this indicator
- Governments allocate part of their national income to fund education — this indicator shows how much is spent specifically on staff compensation relative to the overall education budget.
- It captures the percentage of total public education spending in public institutions that is allocated specifically to staff compensation, including both teaching and non-teaching personnel.
- The indicator is calculated by dividing staff compensation spending by total public education spending, and multiplying by 100. It can also be further broken down by staff type or level of education.
- A higher percentage suggests a larger portion of education funding is directed toward salaries and benefits, which can reflect government policy priorities and investment in teacher recruitment, retention, and motivation.
- The data comes from administrative financial records, often sourced from ministries of finance or education, or from national statistical offices through the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) or UNESCO-OECD-Eurostat (UOE) surveys.
- This indicator is disaggregated by level of education, making it possible to compare spending patterns across primary, secondary, or tertiary education.
- It should be interpreted in context, alongside indicators on capital investment, material spending (such as textbooks), and total spending per student.
- Over time, changes in this indicator may reflect shifts in education budgeting priorities — such as reforms to teacher salary structures or investments in learning materials.
- Limitations include incomplete coverage when data from only one ministry is reported, or when education-related spending by other government bodies is excluded. Differences in fiscal and academic years may also affect the timing of reported spending.
- Despite these challenges, the share of education spending on staff compensation offers key insights into how resources are distributed within education systems and the role that teachers and support staff play in public education investment.
Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation
Compensation for staff across all levels of education, both teaching and non-teaching, covers salaries, retirement contributions by employers, and additional benefits.
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Last updated
May 1, 2025
Next expected update
May 2026
Date range
1998–2024
Unit
%
Sources and processing
This data is based on the following sources
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Citations
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To cite this page overall, including any descriptions, FAQs or explanations of the data authored by Our World in Data, please use the following citation:
“Data Page: Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation”, part of the following publication: Hannah Ritchie, Veronika Samborska, Natasha Ahuja, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, and Max Roser (2023) - “Global Education”. Data adapted from UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/staff-compensation-as-share-of-total-expenditure-in-public-education-all-levels [online resource]How to cite this data
In-line citationIf you have limited space (e.g. in data visualizations), you can use this abbreviated in-line citation:
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2025) – processed by Our World in DataFull citation
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. “Share of total public education spending allocated to staff compensation” [dataset]. UNESCO Institute for Statistics, “UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) - Education” [original data]. Retrieved May 20, 2025 from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/staff-compensation-as-share-of-total-expenditure-in-public-education-all-levels