Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Rwanda

Rwanda: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
4.6%
Change on year
down 6.2%
World rank
76th
of 199 countries
All-time high
5.6%
in 2021
All-time low
2.2%
in 1977
Years of data
28
1977–2024

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Rwanda, 1977–2024

02461977200020241977: 2.2 % of GDP1978: 2.2 % of GDP1979: 2.4 % of GDP1980: 2.7 % of GDP1981: 4.4 % of GDP1987: 3.5 % of GDP1988: 3.3 % of GDP1989: 3.7 % of GDP1999: 3.9 % of GDP2000: 3.4 % of GDP2001: 4.8 % of GDP2007: 4 % of GDP2008: 3.5 % of GDP2010: 4.6 % of GDP2011: 4.4 % of GDP2012: 4.4 % of GDP2013: 4.7 % of GDP2014: 4.2 % of GDP2015: 3.6 % of GDP2016: 3.4 % of GDP2017: 3.1 % of GDP2018: 3.1 % of GDP2019: 3.2 % of GDP2020: 3.3 % of GDP2021: 5.6 % of GDP2022: 4.7 % of GDP2023: 4.9 % of GDP2024: 4.6 % 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 Rwanda stood at 4.6%.

The figure is down 6.2% on the previous year and up 10.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Rwanda peaked at 5.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 1977.

Rwanda ranks 76th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.3% 2.2% 2.4% 3
1980s 3.5% 2.7% 4.4% 5
1990s 3.9% 3.9% 3.9% 1
2000s 3.9% 3.4% 4.8% 4
2010s 3.9% 3.1% 4.7% 10
2020s 4.6% 3.3% 5.6% 5

Countries ranked near Rwanda

  1. 73 Malta 4.7% compare
  2. 74 Slovakia 4.7% compare
  3. 75 Belize 4.6% compare
  4. 77 Spain 4.6% compare
  5. 78 Portugal 4.6% compare
  6. 79 Honduras 4.5% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Rwanda

All data for Rwanda →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Rwanda?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Rwanda was 4.6% 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 Rwanda?
The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 2021.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Rwanda?
The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 1977.
How does Rwanda rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Rwanda ranks 76th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Rwanda?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Rwanda 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.