Education Expenditure (% of GDP) 2008
Education expenditure measures the percentage of GDP spent on education. Compare countries and explore interactive rankings and trends.
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Complete Data Rankings
Rank | ||
|---|---|---|
1 |  Cuba | 9.1 % of GDP |
2 |  Botswana | 8.7 % of GDP |
3 |  Denmark | 8.3 % of GDP |
4 |  Bhutan | 7 % of GDP |
5 |  Barbados | 6.9 % of GDP |
6 |  Bolivia | 6.4 % of GDP |
7 |  Cabo Verde | 6.3 % of GDP |
8 |  Cyprus | 6.3 % of GDP |
9 |  Belarus | 6.1 % of GDP |
10 |  Belgium | 6 % of GDP |
11 |  Austria | 5.4 % of GDP |
12 |  Belize | 5.3 % of GDP |
13 |  Brunei Darussalam | 5.2 % of GDP |
14 |  Canada | 5.2 % of GDP |
15 |  Burundi | 5.1 % of GDP |
16 |  Costa Rica | 4.9 % of GDP |
17 |  Aruba | 4.8 % of GDP |
18 |  Bulgaria | 4.5 % of GDP |
19 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 3.9 % of GDP |
20 |  Argentina | 3.8 % of GDP |
21 |  United Arab Emirates | 1.3 % of GDP |
22 |  Afghanistan | NaN % of GDP |
23 |  Algeria | 5.1 % of GDP |
24 |  Colombia | 4.7 % of GDP |
25 |  Australia | 4.5 % of GDP |
26 |  Benin | 4.4 % of GDP |
27 |  Anguilla | 4 % of GDP |
28 |  Brazil | 4 % of GDP |
29 |  Bahrain | 3.9 % of GDP |
30 |  Bahamas | 3.6 % of GDP |
31 |  Solomon Islands | 3.3 % of GDP |
32 |  Cameroon | 3.3 % of GDP |
33 |  Albania | 2.9 % of GDP |
34 |  Cayman Islands | 2.8 % of GDP |
35 |  Bangladesh | 2.7 % of GDP |
36 |  Angola | 2.4 % of GDP |
37 |  Andorra | 2.3 % of GDP |
38 |  Azerbaijan | 2.1 % of GDP |
39 |  American Samoa | NaN % of GDP |
40 |  Chad | 1.9 % of GDP |
41 |  Bermuda | 1.2 % of GDP |
42 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | NaN % of GDP |
43 |  Comoros | 3.8 % of GDP |
44 |  Chile | 3.2 % of GDP |
45 |  Congo | 1.9 % of GDP |
46 |  Cambodia | 1.7 % of GDP |
47 |  Myanmar | 1.2 % of GDP |
48 |  Sri Lanka | NaN % of GDP |
49 |  Congo, Democratic Republic of the | NaN % of GDP |
50 |  China | 1.9 % of GDP |
51 |  Northern Mariana Islands | NaN % of GDP |
52 |  Kiribati | 17.8 % of GDP |
53 |  Djibouti | 8.4 % of GDP |
54 |  Guyana | 8.3 % of GDP |
55 |  Iceland | 7.6 % of GDP |
56 |  Israel | 6.9 % of GDP |
57 |  Kenya | 6.9 % of GDP |
58 |  Fiji | 6.5 % of GDP |
59 |  Finland | 6.4 % of GDP |
60 |  Ethiopia | 6 % of GDP |
61 |  France | 5.7 % of GDP |
62 |  Hungary | 5.5 % of GDP |
63 |  Ghana | 5.4 % of GDP |
64 |  Jamaica | 5.3 % of GDP |
65 |  Grenada | 5.2 % of GDP |
66 |  Estonia | 5.1 % of GDP |
67 |  Iran | 5.1 % of GDP |
68 |  Dominica | 5 % of GDP |
69 |  Jordan | 4.9 % of GDP |
70 |  Kyrgyzstan | 4.9 % of GDP |
71 |  Ireland | 4.7 % of GDP |
72 |  Germany | 4.6 % of GDP |
73 |  Côte d'Ivoire | 4.6 % of GDP |
74 |  South Korea | 4.6 % of GDP |
75 |  Croatia | 4.5 % of GDP |
76 |  Italy | 4.5 % of GDP |
77 |  Czech Republic | 4.4 % of GDP |
78 |  Greece | 4.4 % of GDP |
79 |  Egypt | 4.2 % of GDP |
80 |  Gabon | 3.8 % of GDP |
81 |  Honduras | 3.8 % of GDP |
82 |  Kuwait | 3.8 % of GDP |
83 |  Dominican Republic | 3.6 % of GDP |
84 |  Indonesia | 3.6 % of GDP |
85 |  Japan | 3.5 % of GDP |
86 |  India | 3.2 % of GDP |
87 |  El Salvador | 3.1 % of GDP |
88 |  Georgia | 3.1 % of GDP |
89 |  Laos | 3 % of GDP |
90 |  Lebanon | 2.7 % of GDP |
91 |  Guatemala | 2.6 % of GDP |
92 |  Eritrea | 2.4 % of GDP |
93 |  Gambia | 2 % of GDP |
94 |  Haiti | 1.4 % of GDP |
95 |  Ecuador | 1 % of GDP |
96 |  Equatorial Guinea | 0.6 % of GDP |
97 |  French Polynesia | NaN % of GDP |
98 |  Gibraltar | NaN % of GDP |
99 |  Greenland | NaN % of GDP |
100 |  Guam | NaN % of GDP |
101 |  Kazakhstan | 2.3 % of GDP |
102 |  Guinea | 1.6 % of GDP |
103 |  Central African Republic | 1.4 % of GDP |
104 |  Cook Islands | 0.2 % of GDP |
105 |  Iraq | NaN % of GDP |
106 |  North Korea | NaN % of GDP |
107 |  Vanuatu | 9.5 % of GDP |
108 |  Latvia | 5.1 % of GDP |
109 |  Lithuania | 5 % of GDP |
110 |  Liberia | NaN % of GDP |
111 |  Slovakia | 3.9 % of GDP |
112 |  Liechtenstein | NaN % of GDP |
113 |  Lesotho | 13 % of GDP |
114 |  Maldives | 8 % of GDP |
115 |  Republic of Moldova | 7.6 % of GDP |
116 |  Norway | 7.2 % of GDP |
117 |  Malaysia | 6.2 % of GDP |
118 |  New Zealand | 6.2 % of GDP |
119 |  Malawi | 5.8 % of GDP |
120 |  Mexico | 5.5 % of GDP |
121 |  Poland | 5.5 % of GDP |
122 |  Portugal | 5.5 % of GDP |
123 |  Netherlands | 5.3 % of GDP |
124 |  Guinea-Bissau | 5.2 % of GDP |
125 |  Malta | 5.1 % of GDP |
126 |  Mongolia | 5 % of GDP |
127 |  Mozambique | 5 % of GDP |
128 |  Mali | 4.5 % of GDP |
129 |  Monaco | 4.4 % of GDP |
130 |  Oman | 4 % of GDP |
131 |  Paraguay | 4 % of GDP |
132 |  Mauritius | 3.9 % of GDP |
133 |  Russia | 3.8 % of GDP |
134 |  Rwanda | 3.8 % of GDP |
135 |  North Macedonia | 3.5 % of GDP |
136 |  Luxembourg | 3.4 % of GDP |
137 |  Niger | 3.4 % of GDP |
138 |  Nepal | 3.4 % of GDP |
139 |  Montserrat | 3.3 % of GDP |
140 |  Madagascar | 3.1 % of GDP |
141 |  Nicaragua | 3.1 % of GDP |
142 |  Libya | 2.7 % of GDP |
143 |  Mayotte | NaN % of GDP |
144 |  Montenegro | NaN % of GDP |
145 |  Morocco | NaN % of GDP |
146 |  Panama | 3.8 % of GDP |
147 |  Mauritania | 2.9 % of GDP |
148 |  Niue | NaN % of GDP |
149 |  Nigeria | 0.9 % of GDP |
150 |  Nauru | NaN % of GDP |
151 |  Suriname | NaN % of GDP |
152 |  Romania | 3.5 % of GDP |
153 |  Qatar | 3.3 % of GDP |
154 |  Pakistan | 2.6 % of GDP |
155 |  Peru | 2.5 % of GDP |
156 |  Papua New Guinea | NaN % of GDP |
157 |  Serbia | NaN % of GDP |
158 |  Philippines | 2.5 % of GDP |
159 |  Puerto Rico | NaN % of GDP |
160 |  Saudi Arabia | 6.8 % of GDP |
161 |  Saint Pierre and Miquelon | NaN % of GDP |
162 |  Yemen | 9.6 % of GDP |
163 |  Uzbekistan | 9.4 % of GDP |
164 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 9.3 % of GDP |
165 |  Tunisia | 7.3 % of GDP |
166 |  Sweden | 7.1 % of GDP |
167 |  Namibia | 6.9 % of GDP |
168 |  Seychelles | 6.5 % of GDP |
169 |  South Africa | 5.4 % of GDP |
170 |  Senegal | 5 % of GDP |
171 |  Saint Helena | NaN % of GDP |
172 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 8.1 % of GDP |
173 |  Eswatini | 7 % of GDP |
174 |  Saint Lucia | 6.6 % of GDP |
175 |  Ukraine | 6.3 % of GDP |
176 |  Slovenia | 6 % of GDP |
177 |  Switzerland | 5.8 % of GDP |
178 |  United Kingdom | 5.6 % of GDP |
179 |  United States | 5.3 % of GDP |
180 |  Uganda | 5.2 % of GDP |
181 |  Tonga | 5 % of GDP |
182 |  Zimbabwe | 4.6 % of GDP |
183 |  Samoa | 4.3 % of GDP |
184 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 4.2 % of GDP |
185 |  Thailand | 4.2 % of GDP |
186 |  Turkey | 4 % of GDP |
187 |  Sierra Leone | 3.8 % of GDP |
188 |  San Marino | NaN % of GDP |
189 |  Singapore | 3.7 % of GDP |
190 |  Somalia | NaN % of GDP |
191 |  Spain | 4.2 % of GDP |
192 |  Syrian Arab Republic | 3.9 % of GDP |
193 |  Tajikistan | 3.4 % of GDP |
194 |  Turks and Caicos Islands | NaN % of GDP |
195 |  Tokelau | NaN % of GDP |
196 |  British Virgin Islands | 3.7 % of GDP |
197 |  Togo | 2.6 % of GDP |
198 |  Sao Tome and Principe | NaN % of GDP |
199 |  Timor-Leste | NaN % of GDP |
200 |  Tuvalu | NaN % of GDP |
201 |  Taiwan | NaN % of GDP |
202 |  Burkina Faso | 4.2 % of GDP |
203 |  Turkmenistan | 3.9 % of GDP |
204 |  Venezuela | 3.7 % of GDP |
205 |  Uruguay | 2.9 % of GDP |
206 |  Tanzania | 2.2 % of GDP |
207 |  Vietnam | 1.8 % of GDP |
208 |  United States Virgin Islands | NaN % of GDP |
209 |  Zambia | 2 % of GDP |
Analysis: These countries represent the highest values in this dataset, showcasing significant scale and impact on global statistics.
- #209Zambia
- #208United States Virgin Islands
- #207Vietnam
- #206Tanzania
- #205Uruguay
- #204Venezuela
- #203Turkmenistan
- #202Burkina Faso
- #201Taiwan
- #200Tuvalu
Context: These countries or territories have the lowest values, often due to geographic size, administrative status, or specific characteristics.
Analysis & Context
In 2008, Kiribati led the world in Education Expenditure (% of GDP) with a staggering 17.8%. Globally, the range of spending varied significantly from a minimum of 0.20% to a maximum of 17.80%. The global average expenditure stood at 4.63%, offering a benchmark against which individual country performances can be compared.
High Expenditure Leaders: Policy and Prioritization
The top spenders in education as a percentage of GDP in 2008, like Kiribati (17.8%) and Lesotho (13%), highlight a strategic prioritization of education in their national budgets. Small island nations such as Kiribati and Vanuatu (9.5%) often invest heavily in education to compensate for limited natural resources, focusing on human capital development as a pathway to economic growth. Similarly, countries like Lesotho emphasize education to address socio-economic challenges and improve literacy rates, which are crucial for societal development.
Low Expenditure Context: Economic Constraints and Policy Choices
On the other end of the spectrum, countries with minimal education expenditure, such as the Cook Islands (0.2%) and Equatorial Guinea (0.6%), often face economic constraints or prioritize other areas. For instance, Nigeria (0.9%), despite having Africa's largest economy, allocates a relatively small percentage of its GDP to education. This can be attributed to competing demands on its budget, including infrastructure and healthcare, as well as challenges in effectively channeling resources due to governance issues. In Equatorial Guinea, the low investment in education reflects a broader focus on oil and gas sectors, which dominate the economy.
Global Patterns and Regional Variations
Examining the data reveals distinct regional patterns in education expenditure. Many countries in Africa, such as Lesotho and Botswana (8.7%), have high educational spending relative to their GDP, driven by policies aimed at improving educational access and quality to combat poverty. In contrast, Middle Eastern nations like the United Arab Emirates (1.3%) often invest less as a percentage of GDP, potentially due to a reliance on expatriate labor and a focus on other economic sectors.
Implications of Education Expenditure Levels
The implications of varying education expenditure levels are profound. Countries with higher spending, such as Cuba (9.1%) and Denmark (8.3%), often achieve better educational outcomes, reflected in higher literacy rates and greater tertiary education enrollment. This investment fosters a skilled workforce, which can drive innovation and economic development. Conversely, nations with lower education spending may face challenges in achieving similar outcomes, potentially hindering their long-term economic growth and development prospects.
Overall, the 2008 data on Education Expenditure (% of GDP) underscores the diverse approaches nations take in prioritizing education within their economic frameworks. While some countries invest heavily, viewing education as a cornerstone of development, others allocate less, reflecting different economic priorities and constraints. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for assessing the impact of education policies on global development trajectories.
Data Source
CIA World Factbook
The World Factbook, also known as the CIA World Factbook, was a reference resource produced by the US Central Intelligence Agency between 1962 and 2026 with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. From 1971 it was not classified, and available to the public in print since 1975, initially by the CIA, and later the Government Publishing Office.
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