Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Egypt

Egypt: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.8% in 2008. ▼ Falling

Latest (2008)
3.8%
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
115th
of 199 countries
All-time high
5.6%
in 1982
All-time low
3.7%
in 2007
Years of data
23
1971–2008

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Egypt, 1971–2008

02461971198920081971: 4.5 % of GDP1972: 4.5 % of GDP1974: 5.2 % of GDP1975: 4.9 % of GDP1976: 4.9 % of GDP1977: 4.5 % of GDP1978: 4.9 % of GDP1980: 4.3 % of GDP1982: 5.6 % of GDP1983: 5.2 % of GDP1988: 4.5 % of GDP1989: 4.6 % of GDP1992: 4.1 % of GDP1993: 4.2 % of GDP1994: 4.6 % of GDP1995: 4.6 % of GDP1996: 4.7 % of GDP2003: 4.9 % of GDP2004: 4.7 % of GDP2005: 4.8 % of GDP2006: 4 % of GDP2007: 3.7 % of GDP2008: 3.8 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Egypt is 3.8%, measured in 2008.

That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and down 19.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Egypt peaked at 5.6% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 2007.

That places Egypt 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2008, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.8% 4.5% 5.2% 7
1980s 4.8% 4.3% 5.6% 5
1990s 4.4% 4.1% 4.7% 5
2000s 4.3% 3.7% 4.9% 6

Countries ranked near Egypt

  1. 112 Saint Lucia 3.8% compare
  2. 113 Hong Kong 3.8% compare
  3. 114 Hungary 3.8% compare
  4. 116 Dominican Republic 3.8% compare
  5. 117 Djibouti 3.8% compare
  6. 118 Luxembourg 3.7% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Egypt

All data for Egypt →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Egypt?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Egypt was 3.8% in 2008, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Egypt?
The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 1982.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Egypt?
The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 2007.
How does Egypt rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Egypt ranks 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2008.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Egypt?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Egypt data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,140 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.