A recent comparative study of school education systems across eight countries has highlighted India’s “significant underinvestment” in education.

‘Comparative Study of School Education Systems: India, Australia, China, Indonesia, Sweden, Thailand, UK, and USA’, was released last week by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). It provides a detailed analysis of the education systems in these eight countries, spanning both developed and emerging economies. The report reveals patterns in education spending across different countries from 2018 to 2023.

According to the study, India’s education spending has stagnated between 2.7% and 2.9% of the GDP over the past six years and indicates that it is necessary to up this allocation to 6% of GDP to meet global standards.

In contrast to this, developed nations, such as Sweden (6.7-6.9 percent) and the UK (5.3-5.6 percent), and developing countries, such as Indonesia (3.7-4.3 percent) and Thailand (4.0-4.3 percent), allocated higher shares of their GDP to education, a comparative study found. “India’s low allocation underscores an urgent need to elevate spending to at least 6% of GDP,” the report stated.

“India’s education spending trajectory reveals a critical imperative for strategic national investment. The consistent 2.7-2.9% GDP allocation represents a significant underinvestment compared to global benchmarks, particularly among developed economies spending 5-7% of GDP on education,” it added.