Countries with the most expensive private schools

Despite the rising cost of private schools, demand continues to grow across the world. For many, private schooling buys luxury, exclusivity and privacy. In many developing countries, private education is a must-have for parents who want their children to succeed.

Across the world, the cost of private education has risen faster than incomes. In the U.S., private high schools cost over $40,000, compared to a median income of around $50,000. In the U.K., boarding school fees jumped 65 percent from 1992 to 2008, while household incomes increased only 30 percent over the same period, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

We've put together a list of the countries with the most expensive private schools based on the cost of sending a child to one of the top three or four private schools in that country.

We used annual tuition fees for high school students for both day and boarding schools. Since boarding is often the more expensive option, we ranked the countries by boarding fees, except in the cases of China and Brazil.

The fees we considered include boarding, food and basic curriculum costs, but exclude charges such as registration fees, deposits, extra-curricular activities and field trips. We also excluded schools that specialized in children with special needs.

Click ahead to find out which countries have the world's most expensive private schools.

Also see

Countries With the Most Expensive Private Schools

Most Expensive Colleges 2011

Colleges That Bring the Highest Paycheck 2011

Best Educational Trips for Kids

By Rajeshni Naidu-Ghelani