Statizoid

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Macao

Macao: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
3.5%
Change on year
down 42.2%
World rank
127th
of 199 countries
All-time high
6.4%
in 2020
All-time low
2.0%
in 2007
Years of data
26
1998–2023

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Macao, 1998–2023

234561998201020231998: 3.4 % of GDP1999: 3.3 % of GDP2000: 3.3 % of GDP2001: 2.7 % of GDP2002: 2.8 % of GDP2003: 2.8 % of GDP2004: 2.2 % of GDP2005: 2.3 % of GDP2006: 2.2 % of GDP2007: 2 % of GDP2008: 2.2 % of GDP2009: 2.5 % of GDP2010: 2.6 % of GDP2011: 2.7 % of GDP2012: 3.3 % of GDP2013: 2.1 % of GDP2014: 2 % of GDP2015: 3 % of GDP2016: 3.1 % of GDP2017: 2.7 % of GDP2018: 2.7 % of GDP2019: 3.1 % of GDP2020: 6.4 % of GDP2021: 5.1 % of GDP2022: 6.1 % of GDP2023: 3.5 % of GDP

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

Analysis

In 2023, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Macao stood at 3.5%.

That represents a change of down 42.2% on the previous year and up 70.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Macao peaked at 6.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2007.

Macao ranks 127th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3.3% 3.3% 3.4% 2
2000s 2.5% 2.0% 3.3% 10
2010s 2.7% 2.0% 3.3% 10
2020s 5.3% 3.5% 6.4% 4

Countries ranked near Macao

  1. 124 Barbados 3.6% compare
  2. 125 Paraguay 3.5% compare
  3. 126 Malaysia 3.5% compare
  4. 128 Saint Kitts and Nevis 3.5% compare
  5. 129 Palau 3.4% compare
  6. 130 Serbia 3.4% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Macao

All data for Macao →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Macao?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Macao was 3.5% 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 Macao?
The highest recorded value was 6.4% in 2020.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Macao?
The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2007.
How does Macao rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Macao ranks 127th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Macao?
Over the last ten years it is up 70.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Macao 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 — 26 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.