Does Israel Spend More on Education Than Other Countries?
Israel spent 6.8% of GDP on education against an OECD average of 5.6% in 2015, on the Central Bureau of Statistics’ comparison.
6.8% of Israel’s gross domestic product went to national expenditure on education against an OECD average of 5.6%, a comparison the Central Bureau of Statistics published for 2015 in its booklet Statistilite 169: Education in Israel. The comparison is drawn as a share of GDP, on the Bureau’s own national-accounts definition of national expenditure on education, which runs from kindergartens through higher education. The Bureau’s shekel figure for a later year, NIS 102.8 billion, or 8.1% of GDP, is marked an early estimate for 2017.
| Figure | What it counts | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 6.8% | National expenditure on education as a share of GDP, Israel | 2015 |
| 5.6% | The same measure, OECD average | 2015 |
| NIS 102.8 billion | National expenditure on education, marked an early estimate | 2017 |
| 8.1% | The same expenditure as a share of GDP, early estimate | 2017 |
| 77.5% | Share of national education expenditure financed by the general government sector | 2017 |
| 22.5% | Share of national education expenditure financed by the private sector | 2017 |
| 42.7% | Share of Israel’s population aged 0 to 24 | 2015 |
| 29.8% | The same age share, OECD average | 2015 |
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistilite 169: Education in Israel, published in English by the Bureau, 2019. Every figure above is the Bureau’s own compilation.
Israel spent 6.8% of GDP on education against the OECD’s 5.6%
The Central Bureau of Statistics published both shares for 2015 as one comparison, on the same national-accounts definition, so the two numbers are like for like. The measure is a share of national income, and the Bureau expresses its international comparison in that form rather than in an amount per pupil or per student.
National education spending reached NIS 102.8 billion, 8.1% of GDP
The Bureau’s shekel aggregate is its own estimate of national expenditure on education, compiled within Israel’s national accounts, and the Bureau flags the 2017 figure as an early estimate. The 8.1% and the 6.8% belong to different years and to different vintages of the same series, so they are not a movement from one to the other. What Israel spends across health and education together is reported by the Bureau in the same national-accounts framework.
| Figure | Year | Flag the Bureau attaches |
|---|---|---|
| NIS 102.8 billion | 2017 | Early estimate |
| 8.1% of GDP | 2017 | Early estimate |
| 6.8% of GDP | 2015 | The year carrying the OECD comparator |
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistilite 169: Education in Israel.
42.7% of Israel’s population was aged 0 to 24, OECD 29.8%
The Central Bureau of Statistics published the age structure in the same release as the spending shares, and pairs the two itself: 42.7% of Israel’s population was aged 0 to 24 in 2015 against an OECD average of 29.8%. The counts of people inside the system come from the Bureau’s own returns, and the Haredi row below is the State Comptroller’s own count of institutions and pupils under the Ministry of Education’s supervision. Bureau counts of pupils in Israel’s schools are published separately from this release.
| Figure | What it counts | Who published it | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42.7% | Israel’s population aged 0 to 24 | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2015 |
| 29.8% | The same age share, OECD average | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2015 |
| 830,000 | Children aged 0 to 7 in municipal, public and private kindergartens including day care | Central Bureau of Statistics | As published in the 2019 release |
| 17,350 | Kindergarten teachers in public and private kindergartens | Central Bureau of Statistics | As published in the 2019 release |
| 314,500 | Students in the higher education system | Central Bureau of Statistics | 2017/18 |
| About 446,000 | Haredi pupils, about 30% of the Hebrew education system | State Comptroller of Israel | School year 5779, 2018/19 |
Government financed 77.5% of national education spending, private sources 22.5%
The Central Bureau of Statistics reported that the general government sector, meaning government, local authorities and non-profit governmental institutions, financed 77.5% of national expenditure on education in 2017, and the private sector, meaning non-profit institutions serving households, households and donations, financed 22.5%. Both shares are of national expenditure on education on the Bureau’s own definition, not of GDP, and together they account for the whole of it.
The Bureau publishes no per-student spending comparison in these releases
Statistilite 169 carries the Bureau’s comparison as a share of GDP and as an age share, and it carries counts of children, teachers and students. It does not carry an expenditure figure per pupil or per student for Israel, and it does not carry an OECD per-student comparator, so a per-student ranking cannot be built from this release. What the Bureau published there is set out below.
- Carried: national expenditure on education as a share of GDP, Israel 6.8% and the OECD average 5.6%, 2015.
- Carried: NIS 102.8 billion and 8.1% of GDP, marked an early estimate, 2017.
- Carried: the financing split, 77.5% general government and 22.5% private, 2017.
- Carried: 830,000 children aged 0 to 7 in kindergartens and day care, and 314,500 students in higher education in 2017/18.
- Not carried: expenditure per pupil or per student for Israel.
- Not carried: an OECD per-student comparator.
Which figures here may not be added or compared?
The 6.8% and the 8.1% are shares of GDP for different years, 2015 and 2017, and the 2017 figure is the Bureau’s early estimate, so they are not a change over time. The 77.5% and the 22.5% are shares of national expenditure on education and never of GDP. The 830,000 children and the 17,350 kindergarten teachers span several settings including day care, so the ratio between them is arithmetic the Bureau does not publish. The Haredi pupil count is the State Comptroller’s own figure for school year 5779 and sits in a different universe from the Bureau’s higher-education count for 2017/18.
Questions readers ask
What share of GDP does Israel spend on education?
The Central Bureau of Statistics published 6.8% of GDP for 2015 and 8.1% of GDP for 2017, the latter marked an early estimate.
What is the OECD comparator the Bureau uses?
The Central Bureau of Statistics reported an OECD average of 5.6% of GDP for 2015, on the same national-expenditure measure it applies to Israel.
How much money is that in shekels?
The Central Bureau of Statistics put national expenditure on education at NIS 102.8 billion in 2017, on an early estimate.
Does the Bureau explain why Israel’s share is higher?
The Central Bureau of Statistics published the age structure beside the spending comparison, recording 42.7% of Israel’s population aged 0 to 24 against an OECD average of 29.8% in 2015.
Who pays for education in Israel?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded that the general government sector financed 77.5% of national education expenditure in 2017 and the private sector 22.5%.
What counts as the private sector in that split?
The Central Bureau of Statistics defines it as non-profit institutions serving households, households and donations.
How many students are in higher education?
The Central Bureau of Statistics counted 314,500 students in the higher education system in 2017/18.
How many young children are in kindergartens?
The Central Bureau of Statistics recorded 830,000 children aged 0 to 7 in municipal, public and private kindergartens including day-care centres, with 17,350 kindergarten teachers in public and private kindergartens.
Does Israel publish spending per student?
Neither release cited here carries one. The Central Bureau of Statistics expresses its comparison in Statistilite 169 as a share of GDP and as an age share.
Which body audits education spending and supervision?
The State Comptroller of Israel reported in 2020 that the Ministry of Education supervised 6,664 Haredi institutions with 84 inspectors, on its own audit of the Ministry’s supervision.
What does the Comptroller publish on Haredi participation in higher education?
The State Comptroller of Israel reported in May 2025, on Central Bureau of Statistics data, that Haredi society was 12.3% of Israel’s population at the end of 2022.
Which year should be quoted for the international comparison?
The Central Bureau of Statistics dated the Israel and OECD shares to 2015, so that is the year the comparison belongs to.
Sources
- Central Bureau of Statistics, 2019. Statistilite 169: Education in Israel. Selected data booklet, 16 pages, published in English. cbs.gov.il. Official or primary record.
- Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman of Israel, 2020. The Ministry of Education: Haredi Education and Its Supervision. Annual Report 70b, chapter 210. library.mevaker.gov.il. Official or primary record.
- Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman of Israel, 2025. Accessibility of Higher Education to Haredi Society, Follow-up Audit. Report 75c. library.mevaker.gov.il. Official or primary record.
