Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education by country

Percentage of total general government spending (across all sectors) that is allocated to education.

Countries reporting
194
Highest
31.9%
Mauritania
Lowest
0.0%
South Sudan
Median
12.7%
Years covered
46
1980–2025
Data points
4,043

What the numbers show

Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education is currently reported for 194 countries. The highest value is 31.9% in Mauritania; the lowest is 0.0% in South Sudan.

The median across all reporting countries is 12.7%, and the mean is 13.4%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 9,490.

Over the past decade 76 countries rose and 115 fell. The largest increase was in Somalia (up 471.8%), and the largest decrease in South Sudan (down 99.9%).

Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Mauritania 31.9% 2024 up 167.8% volatile
2 Kenya 28.5% 2025 up 64.4% rising
3 Turkmenistan 27.6% 2024 up 32.8% rising
4 Solomon Islands 25.2% 2024 down 23.8% rising
5 Namibia 24.6% 2025 up 8.9% rising
6 Morocco 23.3% 2024 up 5.5% rising
7 Honduras 23.2% 2018 up 10.3% rising
8 Bhutan 22.2% 2025 down 12.3% rising
9 Uzbekistan 22.1% 2024 down 3.9% falling
10 Kazakhstan 22.0% 2024 up 36.5% rising
11 Botswana 21.5% 2020 down 8.9% rising
12 Senegal 20.9% 2025 down 12.1% rising
13 Dominican Republic 20.9% 2025 down 6.4% rising
14 Sierra Leone 20.5% 2025 up 36.2% rising
15 Mozambique 20.4% 2021 up 7.1% rising
16 Costa Rica 20.4% 2023 down 10.7% rising
17 Burkina Faso 20.3% 2023 up 25.6% rising
18 Bolivia 20.2% 2024 up 11.2% rising
19 Kiribati 20.1% 2024 down 5.6% rising
20 Kyrgyzstan 19.6% 2024 up 36.8% rising
21 Vanuatu 19.3% 2024 down 13.0% falling
22 Tajikistan 19.3% 2024 up 8.2% rising
23 Eswatini 19.2% 2025 up 17.0% falling
24 Peru 19.2% 2024 up 18.3% rising
25 Syria 19.2% 2009 up 22.5% rising
26 South Africa 19.1% 2025 up 2.4% flat
27 Belize 18.9% 2024 down 12.3% rising
28 Iran 18.8% 2022 up 8.2% flat
29 Micronesia (country) 18.6% 2020 up 4.8% rising
30 Chile 18.4% 2022 up 3.6% rising
31 Sao Tome and Principe 18.1% 2024 up 46.8% rising
32 Benin 18.0% 2025 up 3.1% flat
33 Madagascar 18.0% 2019 down 20.5% rising
34 Zimbabwe 17.9% 2025 down 39.3% falling
35 Jamaica 17.9% 2024 down 18.0% rising
36 Mali 17.8% 2024 down 2.2% rising
37 Cote d'Ivoire 17.6% 2024 down 19.0% falling
38 Tunisia 17.3% 2025 down 23.8% falling
39 Guatemala 17.3% 2025 down 28.3% rising
40 Cuba 17.0% 2022 up 2.9% flat
41 Tuvalu 16.8% 2025 up 52.6% rising
42 Ethiopia 16.7% 2024 down 35.6% rising
43 Chad 16.5% 2023 up 32.3% rising
44 Curacao 16.4% 2024 down 8.9% falling
45 Panama 16.3% 2024 up 22.1% falling
46 Guinea-Bissau 16.2% 2013 down 3.3% falling
47 Israel 16.1% 2022 up 14.1% rising
48 Malawi 16.0% 2024 down 3.6% rising
49 Moldova 16.0% 2024 down 14.9% falling
50 Puerto Rico 16.0% 2025 up 30.0% rising
51 El Salvador 15.9% 2025 up 10.2% falling
52 Hong Kong 15.7% 2024 down 10.7% flat
53 Afghanistan 15.7% 2017 down 8.3% flat
54 Iceland 15.7% 2022 down 1.4% rising
55 Saudi Arabia 15.6% 2024 rising
56 Uruguay 15.6% 2023 up 8.6% rising
57 Algeria 15.5% 2025 down 3.4% rising
58 Ecuador 15.5% 2025 up 33.7% rising
59 Vietnam 15.4% 2022 down 17.8% falling
60 Switzerland 15.4% 2022 down 0.4% flat
61 Sweden 15.3% 2022 up 1.3% rising
62 Philippines 15.2% 2025 up 0.3% rising
63 Congo 14.7% 2023 up 0.0% rising
64 North Korea 14.6% 2025 up 3.8% flat
65 Zambia 14.5% 2025 down 13.3% rising
66 Djibouti 14.5% 2018 down 35.7% falling
67 Norway 14.5% 2022 down 16.3% rising
68 Russia 14.3% 2018 up 19.9% rising
69 Mexico 14.2% 2022 down 21.3% falling
70 Gambia 14.2% 2025 up 28.8% rising
71 Mauritius 14.2% 2024 down 32.1% rising
72 Barbados 14.2% 2025 down 20.3% falling
73 Oman 14.2% 2022 up 28.0% rising
74 Denmark 14.2% 2022 up 13.2% rising
75 India 14.2% 2022 up 1.2% rising
76 Malaysia 14.1% 2023 down 27.5% falling
77 Rwanda 13.9% 2025 up 11.1% falling
78 Kuwait 13.8% 2025 up 23.0% flat
79 Cameroon 13.8% 2024 up 7.4% falling
80 Fiji 13.8% 2025 down 20.7% falling
81 Mongolia 13.8% 2024 down 6.1% falling
82 British Virgin Islands 13.6% 2025 up 2.5% falling
83 Gabon 13.6% 2023 up 55.3% rising
84 Cape Verde 13.4% 2024 down 17.6% falling
85 Tanzania 13.4% 2024 down 22.5% flat
86 Argentina 13.2% 2023 down 8.5% falling
87 Ghana 13.2% 2022 down 50.4% rising
88 Haiti 13.2% 2025 down 9.5% falling
89 Colombia 13.2% 1999 down 23.6% falling
90 Democratic Republic of Congo 13.1% 2017 up 37.3% rising
91 Estonia 13.0% 2022 up 9.8% falling
92 San Marino 13.0% 2023 up 22.1% rising
93 Brazil 12.9% 2022 down 13.2% rising
94 Niger 12.8% 2023 down 29.2% falling
95 Saint Lucia 12.7% 2025 down 22.5% falling
96 New Zealand 12.7% 2023 down 18.2% rising
97 Ukraine 12.7% 2021 down 5.8% flat
98 Australia 12.6% 2022 falling
99 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12.6% 2024 down 26.6% falling
100 Thailand 12.6% 2025 down 38.8% falling
101 Trinidad and Tobago 12.6% 2025 up 2.2% falling
102 Malta 12.5% 2022 down 16.6% rising
103 Cyprus 12.5% 2022 down 19.5% falling
104 Belarus 12.3% 2024 down 0.5% rising
105 Ireland 12.3% 2021 down 0.0% rising
106 Macao 12.3% 2022 down 45.1% rising
107 Georgia 12.2% 2024 up 26.3% flat
108 Andorra 12.1% 2025 up 16.1% rising
109 Finland 12.1% 2022 down 5.9% rising
110 Belgium 12.0% 2022 up 2.9% rising
111 Singapore 12.0% 2025 down 32.2% falling
112 Bulgaria 12.0% 2022 up 12.1% rising
113 Netherlands 12.0% 2022 up 6.3% rising
114 Azerbaijan 11.9% 2025 up 56.3% volatile
115 China 11.9% 2023 rising
116 Bangladesh 11.9% 2025 down 1.3% rising
117 United Kingdom 11.8% 2021 down 5.2% rising
118 Lithuania 11.7% 2022 down 10.2% falling
119 Samoa 11.7% 2025 down 20.3% rising
120 Paraguay 11.7% 2025 down 35.8% rising
121 Togo 11.6% 2024 down 25.5% falling
122 Cambodia 11.6% 2025 up 31.4% rising
123 Comoros 11.5% 2025 down 13.7% falling
124 Grenada 11.4% 2025 up 15.6% flat
125 Brunei 11.4% 2016 up 115.8% falling
126 Marshall Islands 11.3% 2022 down 56.5% falling
127 Turkey 11.3% 2022 down 11.9% falling
128 United States 11.3% 2021 down 16.6% falling
129 Slovenia 11.1% 2022 down 2.3% falling
130 Nicaragua 11.0% 2024 down 52.2% rising
131 Saint Kitts and Nevis 11.0% 2025 up 25.4% falling
132 Aruba 11.0% 2021 down 49.6% falling
133 Egypt 10.9% 2008 down 28.7% falling
134 Albania 10.9% 2023 down 10.5% rising
135 Slovakia 10.8% 2022 up 12.5% rising
136 Sudan 10.8% 2009 up 18.3% flat
137 Nepal 10.8% 2025 down 36.7% falling
138 Seychelles 10.7% 2025 down 31.5% falling
139 Germany 10.7% 2022 down 0.3% rising
140 Canada 10.7% 2022 down 12.8% falling
141 Bahamas 10.6% 2025 down 8.1% falling
142 Indonesia 10.6% 2025 down 48.1% rising
143 Portugal 10.4% 2022 up 2.5% flat
144 Lesotho 10.4% 2024 down 25.6% falling
145 Burundi 10.3% 2025 down 62.6% rising
146 Anguilla 10.3% 2024 down 11.3% flat
147 Czechia 10.0% 2022 up 6.0% rising
148 Central African Republic 10.0% 2023 up 23.6% falling
149 Poland 10.0% 2022 down 10.9% falling
150 Japan 10.0% 1998 down 44.0% falling
151 Austria 10.0% 2022 down 6.6% falling
152 Latvia 9.9% 2022 down 44.1% falling
153 Spain 9.9% 2022 up 9.0% flat
154 Turks and Caicos Islands 9.8% 2025 down 30.9% falling
155 Jordan 9.8% 2024 down 22.0% falling
156 Pakistan 9.8% 2023 down 15.3% rising
157 Maldives 9.6% 2025 down 15.8% falling
158 Tonga 9.3% 2024 down 15.8% falling
159 Qatar 9.3% 2020 down 32.6% flat
160 Cook Islands 9.2% 2025 down 9.3% rising
161 Guinea 9.2% 2025 down 20.8% flat
162 Palau 9.1% 2025 up 1.4% falling
163 France 9.1% 2022 down 3.8% falling
164 Romania 8.8% 2022 up 4.0% falling
165 Armenia 8.7% 2025 down 18.3% falling
166 Lebanon 8.6% 2025 up 20.2% rising
167 Gibraltar 8.6% 2025 up 21.6% rising
168 Suriname 8.6% 2024 down 24.8% falling
169 Croatia 8.5% 2021 up 0.6% rising
170 Uganda 8.5% 2022 down 25.9% falling
171 Luxembourg 8.5% 2022 down 8.9% falling
172 Serbia 8.4% 2023 down 17.6% falling
173 Bahrain 8.3% 2025 up 13.8% falling
174 Laos 8.2% 2024 down 29.9% falling
175 Somalia 8.1% 2025 up 471.8% volatile
176 Hungary 7.8% 2022 down 7.5% falling
177 Bermuda 7.8% 2017 down 35.8% falling
178 Monaco 7.7% 2023 up 9.5% rising
179 Italy 7.4% 2022 down 7.4% falling
180 Liberia 7.4% 2021 up 42.1% rising
181 Guyana 7.2% 2025 down 59.6% falling
182 Sri Lanka 7.2% 2024 down 33.3% falling
183 Nauru 6.6% 2025 up 6.4% falling
184 Angola 6.5% 2025 down 26.8% flat
185 Greece 6.4% 2022 down 10.0% flat
186 Antigua and Barbuda 5.9% 2025 down 23.1% falling
187 Dominica 5.8% 2025 down 43.2% falling
188 Montserrat 5.7% 2025 down 24.5% falling
189 Niue 5.6% 2025 down 17.0% falling
190 Eritrea 5.4% 2006 up 86.8% rising
191 East Timor 4.3% 2025 down 49.9% falling
192 Papua New Guinea 3.5% 2023 down 51.1% volatile
193 Nigeria 3.0% 2024 down 67.0% falling
194 South Sudan 0.0% 2024 down 99.9% volatile

About this data

Indicator
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,043 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

Percentage of total general government spending (across all sectors) that is allocated to education.