Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Zambia
Zambia: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Zambia, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 4.1% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2023.
The figure is up 11.3% on the previous year and up 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Zambia peaked at 6.2% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2008.
That places Zambia 105th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.4% | 4.2% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.2% | 2.7% | 5.4% | 8 |
| 1990s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.7% | 7 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.1% | 2.5% | 5 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 3.4% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 3.1% | 4.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More reference data data for Zambia
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.2201 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 4.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 4.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 4.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.595 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -0.5612 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 47.31 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 49.72 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -0.4076 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 64.17 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Zambia?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Zambia was 4.1% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.2% in 1975.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2008.
- How does Zambia rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Zambia ranks 105th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.