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Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 2.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
2.3%
Change on year
down 21.5%
World rank
173rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
5.6%
in 2012
All-time low
1.2%
in 1971
Years of data
37
1971–2024

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ethiopia, 1971–2024

1234561971199720241971: 1.2 % of GDP1972: 1.3 % of GDP1977: 2.2 % of GDP1978: 1.9 % of GDP1979: 2 % of GDP1980: 1.8 % of GDP1981: 1.9 % of GDP1982: 2.1 % of GDP1983: 2.2 % of GDP1984: 2.1 % of GDP1985: 2.3 % of GDP1986: 2.1 % of GDP1993: 2.3 % of GDP1996: 2.7 % of GDP1997: 2.7 % of GDP2000: 3.9 % of GDP2001: 3.7 % of GDP2002: 3.6 % of GDP2006: 5.5 % of GDP2007: 5.5 % of GDP2008: 5.4 % of GDP2009: 4.4 % of GDP2010: 4.5 % of GDP2011: 5.5 % of GDP2012: 5.6 % of GDP2013: 4.5 % of GDP2014: 4.6 % of GDP2015: 4.7 % of GDP2016: 5.1 % of GDP2017: 5.5 % of GDP2018: 5.2 % of GDP2019: 4.5 % of GDP2020: 4.1 % of GDP2021: 4.1 % of GDP2022: 3.7 % of GDP2023: 2.9 % of GDP2024: 2.3 % 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 Ethiopia is 2.3%, measured in 2024.

The figure is down 21.5% on the previous year and down 50.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ethiopia peaked at 5.6% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 1971.

That places Ethiopia 173rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.7% 1.2% 2.2% 5
1980s 2.1% 1.8% 2.3% 7
1990s 2.6% 2.3% 2.7% 3
2000s 4.6% 3.6% 5.5% 7
2010s 5.0% 4.5% 5.6% 10
2020s 3.4% 2.3% 4.1% 5

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 170 Armenia 2.4% compare
  2. 171 Comoros 2.3% compare
  3. 172 Gabon 2.3% compare
  4. 174 Liberia 2.3% compare
  5. 175 Singapore 2.2% compare
  6. 176 Cambodia 2.2% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ethiopia?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ethiopia was 2.3% 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 Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 2012.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 1971.
How does Ethiopia rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Ethiopia ranks 173rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is down 50.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ethiopia 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.