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Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 1.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
1.8%
Change on year
up 51.8%
World rank
187th
of 199 countries
All-time high
3.3%
in 1996
All-time low
1.2%
in 2022
Years of data
33
1973–2023

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sri Lanka, 1973–2023

01231973199820231973: 3.3 % of GDP1975: 2.7 % of GDP1979: 2.6 % of GDP1980: 2.7 % of GDP1981: 2.4 % of GDP1982: 2.6 % of GDP1983: 2.4 % of GDP1984: 2.2 % of GDP1985: 2.6 % of GDP1986: 2.8 % of GDP1987: 2.6 % of GDP1988: 2.8 % of GDP1989: 2.8 % of GDP1990: 2.4 % of GDP1991: 2.9 % of GDP1994: 3.1 % of GDP1995: 3 % of GDP1996: 3.3 % of GDP1998: 3.1 % of GDP2009: 2.1 % of GDP2010: 1.7 % of GDP2011: 1.7 % of GDP2012: 1.5 % of GDP2013: 1.6 % of GDP2014: 1.9 % of GDP2015: 2.1 % of GDP2016: 3.2 % of GDP2017: 2.6 % of GDP2018: 2 % of GDP2020: 1.6 % of GDP2021: 1.5 % of GDP2022: 1.2 % of GDP2023: 1.8 % 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 Sri Lanka is 1.8%, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 51.8% on the previous year and up 16.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.3% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2022.

Sri Lanka ranks 187th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.9% 2.6% 3.3% 3
1980s 2.6% 2.2% 2.8% 10
1990s 3.0% 2.4% 3.3% 6
2000s 2.1% 2.1% 2.1% 1
2010s 2.0% 1.5% 3.2% 9
2020s 1.5% 1.2% 1.8% 4

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 184 Bahrain 1.9% compare
  2. 185 Bermuda 1.9% compare
  3. 186 Central African Republic 1.8% compare
  4. 188 Monaco 1.7% compare
  5. 189 Guinea 1.7% compare
  6. 190 Cayman Islands 1.6% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sri Lanka?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sri Lanka was 1.8% 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 Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1996.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2022.
How does Sri Lanka rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Sri Lanka ranks 187th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka 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.