Some £140million went to non-English clubs compared to £155million (60 per cent of total spending) in 2004.
Dan Jones, partner in the Sport Business Group at Deloitte that carried out the analysis, said: "Wage bills are...under better control in English clubs than their counterparts in other major leagues.
"Overall, the Premiership clubs have spent over £285million in 2005, a moderate increase on 2004 and 2003 but lower than the levels of spending we saw in 2002 and before.”
More clubs outside the top-flight have benefited compared to previous years.
Paul Rawnsley, also of the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: “In financial terms, there is good news for clubs below the top tier in England, with around £50million of Premiership spending going to Football League clubs."
