Israel's 2023 Education Spending Reached 7.1% of GDP, Outpacing OECD Average

Jerusalem, 11 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s national expenditure on educational institutions reached 7.1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2023, surpassing the OECD average of 5.3%, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.

Despite high overall spending relative to economy size, public funding accounted for 79.9% of non-preschool education costs, slightly below the OECD average of 82.9%. In higher education, private sources covered 58.6% of costs—significantly higher than the OECD average of 32.9%.

Furthermore, per-student expenditure (measured in Purchasing Power Parity) across almost all academic levels, excluding primary education, remained below the OECD benchmark, highlighting reliance on private financing alongside strong aggregate investment.