Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education was 15.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Saudi Arabia, 1991–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Saudi Arabia is 15.6%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year.
Over the whole period, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Saudi Arabia peaked at 24.0% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 12.3%, in 1997.
That places Saudi Arabia 55th out of 194 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.9% | 12.3% | 24.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 20.2% | 17.8% | 21.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 15.7% | 15.6% | 15.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More economy & growth data for Saudi Arabia
- Exports of goods and services 1.42 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 43.0% (2025)
- Gross national expenditure 1.26 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Gross national expenditure 4.71 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Gross national expenditure 940.78 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 2.05 trillion constant LCU (2025)
- Gross national expenditure 98.4% (2025)
- Exports of goods and services 379.82 billion current US$ (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 2.06 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 335.20 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Saudi Arabia was 15.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 24.0% in 1998.
- What is the lowest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.3% in 1997.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 55th out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of total general government spending (across all sectors) that is allocated to education.