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Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Gambia

Gambia: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 2.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2.8%
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
160th
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.3%
in 1985
All-time low
0.6%
in 2004
Years of data
33
1985–2023

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Gambia, 1985–2023

12341985200420231985: 4.3 % of GDP1986: 3.5 % of GDP1989: 3 % of GDP1990: 2.8 % of GDP1991: 3.8 % of GDP1992: 1.2 % of GDP1995: 2.6 % of GDP1996: 2.6 % of GDP1999: 1.6 % of GDP2000: 1.5 % of GDP2001: 1.2 % of GDP2002: 1.4 % of GDP2003: 1.4 % of GDP2004: 0.622 % of GDP2005: 0.692 % of GDP2006: 0.752 % of GDP2007: 0.817 % of GDP2008: 2.2 % of GDP2009: 1.9 % of GDP2010: 2.6 % of GDP2011: 2.5 % of GDP2012: 2.6 % of GDP2013: 1.8 % of GDP2014: 2.2 % of GDP2015: 2.2 % of GDP2016: 2 % of GDP2017: 2.5 % of GDP2018: 2.4 % of GDP2019: 2.8 % of GDP2020: 2.9 % of GDP2021: 3 % of GDP2022: 2.9 % of GDP2023: 2.8 % of GDP

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

Analysis

Gambia recorded 2.8% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2023.

That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and up 54.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Gambia peaked at 4.3% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2004.

Gambia ranks 160th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.6% 3.0% 4.3% 3
1990s 2.4% 1.2% 3.8% 6
2000s 1.2% 0.6% 2.2% 10
2010s 2.4% 1.8% 2.8% 10
2020s 2.9% 2.8% 3.0% 4

Countries ranked near Gambia

  1. 157 Democratic Republic of Congo 2.8% compare
  2. 158 Cameroon 2.8% compare
  3. 159 Iran 2.8% compare
  4. 161 Malawi 2.7% compare
  5. 162 Bahamas 2.7% compare
  6. 163 Sierra Leone 2.6% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Gambia

All data for Gambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Gambia?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Gambia was 2.8% in 2023, 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 Gambia?
The highest recorded value was 4.3% in 1985.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Gambia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2004.
How does Gambia rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Gambia ranks 160th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Gambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 54.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Gambia 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.