Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 0.8% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
0.8%
Change on year
up 21.6%
World rank
196th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.4%
in 1977
All-time low
0.6%
in 2022
Years of data
11
1972–2023

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Papua New Guinea, 1972–2023

024681972199720231972: 5.2 % of GDP1977: 7.4 % of GDP2015: 1.6 % of GDP2016: 0.854 % of GDP2017: 2 % of GDP2018: 1.9 % of GDP2019: 0.762 % of GDP2020: 0.898 % of GDP2021: 0.714 % of GDP2022: 0.643 % of GDP2023: 0.782 % of GDP

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 Papua New Guinea is 0.8%, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 21.6% on the previous year and down 51.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Papua New Guinea peaked at 7.4% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2022.

That places Papua New Guinea 196th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 6.3% 5.2% 7.4% 2
2010s 1.4% 0.8% 2.0% 5
2020s 0.8% 0.6% 0.9% 4

Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea

  1. 193 Laos 1.2% compare
  2. 194 Lebanon 1.2% compare
  3. 195 Haiti 1.0% compare
  4. 197 Zimbabwe 0.4% compare
  5. 198 Nigeria 0.3% compare
  6. 199 Somalia 0.0% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Papua New Guinea

All data for Papua New Guinea →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Papua New Guinea?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Papua New Guinea was 0.8% 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 Papua New Guinea?
The highest recorded value was 7.4% in 1977.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2022.
How does Papua New Guinea rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Papua New Guinea ranks 196th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
Over the last ten years it is down 51.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.