Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Eswatini

Eswatini: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 6.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
6.0%
Change on year
up 20.5%
World rank
27th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.3%
in 2014
All-time low
3.7%
in 1976
Years of data
39
1976–2024

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Eswatini, 1976–2024

024681976200020241976: 3.7 % of GDP1977: 3.9 % of GDP1978: 5.8 % of GDP1979: 6.4 % of GDP1980: 5.3 % of GDP1981: 6.6 % of GDP1982: 6.8 % of GDP1987: 5.8 % of GDP1988: 5.5 % of GDP1989: 5.7 % of GDP1990: 5.5 % of GDP1994: 5.1 % of GDP1995: 5.7 % of GDP1996: 4.9 % of GDP1999: 5.1 % of GDP2000: 5.5 % of GDP2001: 4.8 % of GDP2002: 4.4 % of GDP2003: 5.8 % of GDP2004: 5.4 % of GDP2005: 6.5 % of GDP2006: 6.6 % of GDP2008: 6.6 % of GDP2009: 6.5 % of GDP2010: 6.1 % of GDP2011: 6.9 % of GDP2012: 5.6 % of GDP2013: 5.1 % of GDP2014: 7.3 % of GDP2015: 5.4 % of GDP2016: 5.4 % of GDP2017: 6.2 % of GDP2018: 5.7 % of GDP2019: 5.7 % of GDP2020: 5.3 % of GDP2021: 5.3 % of GDP2022: 5.6 % of GDP2023: 5 % of GDP2024: 6 % 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 Eswatini is 6.0%, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 20.5% on the previous year and down 17.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Eswatini peaked at 7.3% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 1976.

That places Eswatini 27th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.0% 3.7% 6.4% 4
1980s 5.9% 5.3% 6.8% 6
1990s 5.3% 4.9% 5.7% 5
2000s 5.8% 4.4% 6.6% 9
2010s 5.9% 5.1% 7.3% 10
2020s 5.4% 5.0% 6.0% 5

Countries ranked near Eswatini

  1. 24 Denmark 6.4% compare
  2. 25 Belgium 6.3% compare
  3. 26 Senegal 6.2% compare
  4. 28 South Africa 6.0% compare
  5. 29 Morocco 6.0% compare
  6. 30 Mozambique 6.0% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Eswatini

All data for Eswatini →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Eswatini?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Eswatini was 6.0% in 2024, 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 Eswatini?
The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 2014.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Eswatini?
The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 1976.
How does Eswatini rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Eswatini ranks 27th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Eswatini?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Eswatini 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.