Federal Statistical Office: Public spending on schoolchildren has increased

9200 euros – that’s how much Germany spent per student in 2021. That is an increase of 500 euros compared to the previous year. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the bulk of the expenditure was for personnel costs.

In 2021, public budgets spent an average of 9,200 euros on the education of a student at a public school. According to the preliminary results of the Federal Statistical Officethat was around 500 euros or five percent more than in 2020.

Accordingly, of the total expenditure, a total of 7000 euros was spent on personnel, around 1300 euros on expenses for ongoing material expenses and a further 900 euros on capital expenditure. In comparison to the previous year, the expenses for the current material expenses have increased by 15 percent and the investment funds by ten percent, which is above average. According to the information, personnel expenses increased by only three percent in the same period to 200 euros.

Differences depending on the type of school and region

There were some significant differences between the school types. The per capita expenditures at primary schools amounted to 8,000 euros and at integrated comprehensive schools to 10,900 euros. An average of 10,200 euros was spent per pupil at grammar schools. At vocational schools, on the other hand, it was 6,400 euros per student. This was explained in particular with the predominant part-time teaching at the vocational schools within the dual training system.

There are also clear geographical differences: the city states had the highest expenditure per pupil in 2021 with an average of 12,400 euros. Berlin came to 13,300 euros, Hamburg to 11,700 euros and Bremen to 9,600 euros. In the non-city states, the sums varied between 8,200 euros in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and 10,500 euros in Bavaria.