Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Iran
Iran: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 2.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Iran, 1971–2023
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 Iran is 2.8%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 5.8% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Iran peaked at 7.1% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 2014.
That places Iran 159th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.2% | 2.7% | 5.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 4.4% | 3.5% | 7.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.9% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 7 |
| 2000s | 4.2% | 3.8% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.6% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More reference data data for Iran
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0171 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.7 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.7 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.7 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.799 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -1.23 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 35.71 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -1.55 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 29.75 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 38.89 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Iran?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Iran 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 7.1% in 1981.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2014.
- How does Iran rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Iran ranks 159th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran 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
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.