Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Samoa

Samoa: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
5.5%
Change on year
down 10.7%
World rank
38th
of 199 countries
All-time high
6.2%
in 2022
All-time low
3.6%
in 2000
Years of data
19
1999–2024

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

02461999201120241999: 4 % of GDP2000: 3.6 % of GDP2001: 4 % of GDP2002: 3.9 % of GDP2008: 5.1 % of GDP2011: 4.8 % of GDP2012: 4.9 % of GDP2013: 4.6 % of GDP2014: 5.4 % of GDP2015: 4.4 % of GDP2016: 4 % of GDP2017: 4.2 % of GDP2018: 4.5 % of GDP2019: 4.6 % of GDP2020: 4.5 % of GDP2021: 5.2 % of GDP2022: 6.2 % of GDP2023: 6.1 % of GDP2024: 5.5 % 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 Samoa stood at 5.5%.

The figure is down 10.7% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Samoa peaked at 6.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2000.

Samoa ranks 38th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 4.0% 4.0% 4.0% 1
2000s 4.2% 3.6% 5.1% 4
2010s 4.6% 4.0% 5.4% 9
2020s 5.5% 4.5% 6.2% 5

Countries ranked near Samoa

  1. 35 Brazil 5.6% compare
  2. 36 Jamaica 5.5% compare
  3. 37 Uzbekistan 5.5% compare
  4. 39 Curacao 5.4% compare
  5. 40 Tajikistan 5.4% compare
  6. 41 Palestine 5.4% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Samoa

All data for Samoa →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Samoa?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Samoa was 5.5% 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 Samoa?
The highest recorded value was 6.2% in 2022.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Samoa?
The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2000.
How does Samoa rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Samoa ranks 38th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Samoa?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Samoa 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.