Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon

Lebanon: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 1.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.2%
Change on year
down 18.6%
World rank
194th
of 199 countries
All-time high
2.8%
in 2001
All-time low
1.2%
in 2024
Years of data
24
1993–2024

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon, 1993–2024

01231993200820241993: 1.7 % of GDP1994: 1.9 % of GDP1995: 2.2 % of GDP1996: 2.1 % of GDP2001: 2.8 % of GDP2002: 2.6 % of GDP2004: 2.6 % of GDP2005: 2.6 % of GDP2006: 2.8 % of GDP2007: 2.6 % of GDP2008: 2 % of GDP2009: 1.8 % of GDP2010: 1.6 % of GDP2011: 1.7 % of GDP2012: 2.1 % of GDP2013: 2.4 % of GDP2016: 2.2 % of GDP2017: 2.2 % of GDP2018: 2.6 % of GDP2019: 2.5 % of GDP2020: 2.4 % of GDP2022: 1.3 % of GDP2023: 1.5 % of GDP2024: 1.2 % of GDP

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

Analysis

In 2024, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon stood at 1.2%. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

The figure is down 18.6% on the previous year and down 49.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon peaked at 2.8% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2024.

Lebanon ranks 194th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2.0% 1.7% 2.2% 4
2000s 2.5% 1.8% 2.8% 8
2010s 2.2% 1.6% 2.6% 8
2020s 1.6% 1.2% 2.4% 4

Countries ranked near Lebanon

  1. 191 South Sudan 1.6% compare
  2. 192 Indonesia 1.3% compare
  3. 193 Laos 1.2% compare
  4. 195 Haiti 1.0% compare
  5. 196 Papua New Guinea 0.8% compare
  6. 197 Zimbabwe 0.4% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Lebanon

All data for Lebanon →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon was 1.2% 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 Lebanon?
The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 2001.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Lebanon?
The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2024.
How does Lebanon rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Lebanon ranks 194th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Lebanon?
Over the last ten years it is down 49.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Lebanon 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.