Israel spends far below OECD average on students

National expenditure per student in Israel is far lower than that of other countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to a 2014 report on education published by the body Tuesday.

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According to Ynet sister-publication Calcalist, which published the report's findings, Israeli expenditure per student stood at about 60 percent of the OECD average per state – $5,711 in Israel, compared to the average of $9,280.

A similar trend can be seen in elementary school, where Israeli expenditure per student stood at about $6,822, as opposed to an OECD average of $8,295.

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The report indicates that Israel is one of the only member countries in which public expenditure on higher education remained unchanged between 1995 and 2011. The other countries in the organization that did not increase investment in higher education are Australia, Brazil, the Czech Republic Hungary and Switzerland.

Israel is also one of the three states, along with France and Poland, where the gross domestic product (GDP) increased, but the rate of public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP dropped.

It should be noted, however, that Israel's overall public expenditure on education is a relatively high 7 percent, as opposed to the 6.1 percent average of OECD members. Israel's percentage of GDP spent on education is similar to the OECD average of 3.85 percent.

Israel is also close to the OECD average with regards to expenditure on students in higher education.

In 2012, the expenditure per student in Israeli higher education institutions reached $11,553, as opposed to the OECD average of $13,957. The United States invested the highest amount of money per student in the higher education system, with $26,000 per year.