Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Namibia

Namibia: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 9.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
9.1%
Change on year
down 3.3%
World rank
4th
of 199 countries
All-time high
10.6%
in 2016
All-time low
1.4%
in 2017
Years of data
21
1999–2024

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Namibia, 1999–2024

2468101999201120241999: 7.1 % of GDP2000: 6.9 % of GDP2001: 6.9 % of GDP2002: 6.7 % of GDP2003: 6.1 % of GDP2006: 6 % of GDP2008: 6.4 % of GDP2010: 8.2 % of GDP2011: 8 % of GDP2012: 9.2 % of GDP2013: 8.6 % of GDP2014: 3.7 % of GDP2015: 9.9 % of GDP2016: 10.6 % of GDP2017: 1.4 % of GDP2018: 8.9 % of GDP2019: 9.3 % of GDP2020: 9.3 % of GDP2021: 10.4 % of GDP2022: 9.4 % of GDP2024: 9.1 % 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 Namibia stood at 9.1%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.3% on the previous year and up 147.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Namibia peaked at 10.6% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2017.

Namibia ranks 4th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 7.1% 7.1% 7.1% 1
2000s 6.5% 6.0% 6.9% 6
2010s 7.8% 1.4% 10.6% 10
2020s 9.5% 9.1% 10.4% 4

Countries ranked near Namibia

  1. 1 Kiribati 16.4% compare
  2. 2 Tuvalu 12.8% compare
  3. 3 Micronesia (country) 11.6% compare
  4. 5 Algeria 9.0% compare
  5. 6 Cuba 8.4% compare
  6. 7 Solomon Islands 8.3% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Namibia

All data for Namibia →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Namibia?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Namibia was 9.1% 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 Namibia?
The highest recorded value was 10.6% in 2016.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Namibia?
The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2017.
How does Namibia rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Namibia ranks 4th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Namibia?
Over the last ten years it is up 147.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Namibia 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.