Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education was 7.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Sri Lanka, 1991–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Sri Lanka stood at 7.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.8% on the previous year and down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Sri Lanka peaked at 17.7% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 5.0%, in 2021.
That places Sri Lanka 182nd out of 194 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.9% | 10.9% | 12.7% | 5 |
| 2000s | 8.3% | 8.3% | 8.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 11.2% | 8.4% | 17.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 6.4% | 5.0% | 8.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More economy & growth data for Sri Lanka
- Gross domestic savings 25.8% (2025)
- Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure 67.5% (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 80.78 billion current US$ (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 24.31 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 74.55 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 5.3% (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added 18.63 billion current US$ (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 74.2% (2025)
- Exports of goods and services 20.64 billion current US$ (2025)
- Gross national expenditure 103.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Sri Lanka?
- Share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Sri Lanka was 7.2% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 17.7% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.0% in 2021.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education?
- Sri Lanka ranks 182nd out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. 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 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.