Public Funding of Education in the Visegrad Group Countries in 2011–2021

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of the study is to identify the level of public spending on education in the Visegrad Group countries in 2011–2021. The source material was data from the European Statistical Office for Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, collected in accordance with the International Classification of Government Functions (COFOG) based on the European System of National Accounts. As a result of the analysis, it was found that in the above-mentioned countries, in the perspective of 10 years, Poland was the country that allocated the most funds to education, which also translated into the average share of government and local government expenditure in percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011–2021. In the countries of the Visegrad Group, an increase in the level of public spending on education, expressed in million euros, was recorded. In relation to GDP in 2011 and 2021, a downward trend was observed only in Poland (by 0.6 p.p.). Poland is one of the few European Union countries where there was a significant reduction in spending on education. This is an unfavorable phenomenon, as investments in human capital testify to the competitiveness of the state.