Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Qatar

Qatar: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.2% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
3.2%
Change on year
up 15.3%
World rank
138th
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.5%
in 2010
All-time low
1.7%
in 1976
Years of data
24
1971–2020

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Qatar, 1971–2020

0123451971199520201971: 3 % of GDP1972: 2.7 % of GDP1973: 2.9 % of GDP1976: 1.7 % of GDP1977: 2 % of GDP1978: 2.8 % of GDP1998: 3.6 % of GDP1999: 4.3 % of GDP2000: 3.7 % of GDP2001: 3.2 % of GDP2002: 3.8 % of GDP2003: 3.4 % of GDP2004: 3.5 % of GDP2005: 4 % of GDP2008: 4.2 % of GDP2009: 3.4 % of GDP2010: 4.5 % of GDP2011: 4 % of GDP2012: 3.5 % of GDP2013: 4.1 % of GDP2014: 3.6 % of GDP2017: 3 % of GDP2019: 2.8 % of GDP2020: 3.2 % 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 Qatar is 3.2%, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of up 15.3% on the previous year and down 28.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Qatar peaked at 4.5% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1976.

Qatar ranks 138th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.5% 1.7% 3.0% 6
1990s 4.0% 3.6% 4.3% 2
2000s 3.7% 3.2% 4.2% 8
2010s 3.6% 2.8% 4.5% 7
2020s 3.2% 3.2% 3.2% 1

Countries ranked near Qatar

  1. 135 North Macedonia 3.3% compare
  2. 136 Romania 3.3% compare
  3. 137 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3.2% compare
  4. 139 Trinidad and Tobago 3.2% compare
  5. 140 Jordan 3.2% compare
  6. 141 Benin 3.2% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Qatar

All data for Qatar →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Qatar?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Qatar was 3.2% in 2020, 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 Qatar?
The highest recorded value was 4.5% in 2010.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Qatar?
The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1976.
How does Qatar rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Qatar ranks 138th out of 199 countries with data for 2020.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Qatar?
Over the last ten years it is down 28.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Qatar 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.