India’s education spending falls below UNESCO norm

India's education spending has fallen below UNESCO's standard, with education accounting for only 4.1% of GDP and 14.2% of total public expenditure. This is down from 15.7% of GDP and 15% of public spending in 2015, falling under UNESCO's 15% benchmark for education spending. The low funding is especially evident in secondary school completion rates, which are currently at 86% for lower secondary (Classes VI-VIII) and 51% for upper secondary (Classes IX-XII), both below UNESCO's 2025 targets of 99% and 84%, respectively.

UNESCO's Education 2030 framework recommends allocating 4-6% of GDP or 15-20% of public expenditure towards education, but India has consistently met only one criterion since 2015. Among major emerging economies, only China meets both benchmarks, while Brazil and Indonesia fall short in both categories. According to the scorecard, only 19% of the 205 nations meet both criteria, while 64 countries, including India, exceed the GDP threshold but fall short of the public expenditure requirement.