Education Expenditure (% of GDP) 2011
Education expenditure measures the percentage of GDP spent on education. Compare countries and explore interactive rankings and trends.
Interactive Map
Complete Data Rankings
Rank | ||
|---|---|---|
1 |  Cuba | 13.6 % of GDP |
2 |  Botswana | 8.9 % of GDP |
3 |  Djibouti | 8.4 % of GDP |
4 |  Aruba | 5 % of GDP |
5 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 2.7 % of GDP |
6 |  United Arab Emirates | 1.2 % of GDP |
7 |  Afghanistan | NaN % of GDP |
8 |  Burundi | 8.3 % of GDP |
9 |  Denmark | 7.8 % of GDP |
10 |  Comoros | 7.6 % of GDP |
11 |  Barbados | 6.7 % of GDP |
12 |  Bolivia | 6.3 % of GDP |
13 |  Costa Rica | 6.3 % of GDP |
14 |  Belgium | 6.01 % of GDP |
15 |  Cabo Verde | 5.9 % of GDP |
16 |  Belize | 5.7 % of GDP |
17 |  Colombia | 4.8 % of GDP |
18 |  Algeria | 4.3 % of GDP |
19 |  Azerbaijan | 2.8 % of GDP |
20 |  Albania | NaN % of GDP |
21 |  Austria | 5.4 % of GDP |
22 |  Brazil | 5.08 % of GDP |
23 |  Argentina | 4.9 % of GDP |
24 |  Canada | 4.9 % of GDP |
25 |  Bhutan | 4.8 % of GDP |
26 |  Belarus | 4.5 % of GDP |
27 |  Bulgaria | 4.1 % of GDP |
28 |  Cyprus | 4.1 % of GDP |
29 |  Chile | 4 % of GDP |
30 |  Cameroon | 3.7 % of GDP |
31 |  Anguilla | 3.5 % of GDP |
32 |  Andorra | 3.2 % of GDP |
33 |  Bahrain | 2.9 % of GDP |
34 |  Angola | 2.6 % of GDP |
35 |  American Samoa | NaN % of GDP |
36 |  Australia | 4.5 % of GDP |
37 |  Bermuda | 2.6 % of GDP |
38 |  Bahamas | NaN % of GDP |
39 |  Benin | 3.5 % of GDP |
40 |  Bangladesh | 2.4 % of GDP |
41 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | NaN % of GDP |
42 |  Myanmar | NaN % of GDP |
43 |  Solomon Islands | NaN % of GDP |
44 |  Brunei Darussalam | NaN % of GDP |
45 |  Chad | 3.2 % of GDP |
46 |  Cambodia | 2.1 % of GDP |
47 |  Curaçao | NaN % of GDP |
48 |  Sri Lanka | NaN % of GDP |
49 |  Congo | 1.9 % of GDP |
50 |  Congo, Democratic Republic of the | NaN % of GDP |
51 |  China | NaN % of GDP |
52 |  Cayman Islands | 2.6 % of GDP |
53 |  Northern Mariana Islands | NaN % of GDP |
54 |  Central African Republic | 1.3 % of GDP |
55 |  Cook Islands | NaN % of GDP |
56 |  Iceland | 7.4 % of GDP |
57 |  Kenya | 7 % of GDP |
58 |  Fiji | 6.2 % of GDP |
59 |  Dominica | 4.7 % of GDP |
60 |  Dominican Republic | 2.3 % of GDP |
61 |  Ecuador | NaN % of GDP |
62 |  Guyana | 6.1 % of GDP |
63 |  Finland | 5.9 % of GDP |
64 |  Israel | 5.9 % of GDP |
65 |  Kyrgyzstan | 5.9 % of GDP |
66 |  Jamaica | 5.8 % of GDP |
67 |  France | 5.6 % of GDP |
68 |  Ethiopia | 5.5 % of GDP |
69 |  Ghana | 5.4 % of GDP |
70 |  Hungary | 5.2 % of GDP |
71 |  Latvia | 5 % of GDP |
72 |  Ireland | 4.9 % of GDP |
73 |  Estonia | 4.9 % of GDP |
74 |  Grenada | 4.9 % of GDP |
75 |  Iran | 4.7 % of GDP |
76 |  Croatia | 4.6 % of GDP |
77 |  Côte d'Ivoire | 4.6 % of GDP |
78 |  Germany | 4.5 % of GDP |
79 |  Italy | 4.3 % of GDP |
80 |  Czech Republic | 4.2 % of GDP |
81 |  South Korea | 4.2 % of GDP |
82 |  Greece | 4 % of GDP |
83 |  Egypt | 3.8 % of GDP |
84 |  El Salvador | 3.6 % of GDP |
85 |  Georgia | 3.2 % of GDP |
86 |  Eritrea | 2 % of GDP |
87 |  Gambia | 2 % of GDP |
88 |  Equatorial Guinea | 0.6 % of GDP |
89 |  Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | NaN % of GDP |
90 |  Faroe Islands | NaN % of GDP |
91 |  French Polynesia | NaN % of GDP |
92 |  Gabon | NaN % of GDP |
93 |  Gibraltar | NaN % of GDP |
94 |  Greenland | NaN % of GDP |
95 |  Guam | NaN % of GDP |
96 |  Japan | 3.5 % of GDP |
97 |  Guatemala | 3.2 % of GDP |
98 |  India | 3.1 % of GDP |
99 |  Guinea | 2.4 % of GDP |
100 |  Haiti | NaN % of GDP |
101 |  Honduras | NaN % of GDP |
102 |  Indonesia | 2.8 % of GDP |
103 |  Iraq | NaN % of GDP |
104 |  Jordan | NaN % of GDP |
105 |  North Korea | NaN % of GDP |
106 |  Kiribati | NaN % of GDP |
107 |  Lesotho | 12.4 % of GDP |
108 |  Maldives | 11.2 % of GDP |
109 |  Republic of Moldova | 9.6 % of GDP |
110 |  Norway | 6.8 % of GDP |
111 |  Malta | 6.4 % of GDP |
112 |  New Zealand | 6.1 % of GDP |
113 |  Mongolia | 5.6 % of GDP |
114 |  Morocco | 5.6 % of GDP |
115 |  Saudi Arabia | 5.6 % of GDP |
116 |  Netherlands | 5.3 % of GDP |
117 |  Mozambique | 5 % of GDP |
118 |  Poland | 4.9 % of GDP |
119 |  Mexico | 4.8 % of GDP |
120 |  Vanuatu | 4.8 % of GDP |
121 |  Lithuania | 4.7 % of GDP |
122 |  Serbia | 4.7 % of GDP |
123 |  Nepal | 4.6 % of GDP |
124 |  Niger | 4.5 % of GDP |
125 |  Mali | 4.4 % of GDP |
126 |  Mauritania | 4.4 % of GDP |
127 |  Portugal | 4.4 % of GDP |
128 |  Romania | 4.3 % of GDP |
129 |  Malawi | 4.2 % of GDP |
130 |  Malaysia | 4.1 % of GDP |
131 |  Rwanda | 4.1 % of GDP |
132 |  Paraguay | 4 % of GDP |
133 |  Oman | 3.9 % of GDP |
134 |  Russia | 3.9 % of GDP |
135 |  Slovakia | 3.6 % of GDP |
136 |  Montserrat | 3.3 % of GDP |
137 |  Mauritius | 3.2 % of GDP |
138 |  Madagascar | 3 % of GDP |
139 |  Liberia | 2.7 % of GDP |
140 |  Liechtenstein | 2 % of GDP |
141 |  Luxembourg | NaN % of GDP |
142 |  Libya | NaN % of GDP |
143 |  Mayotte | NaN % of GDP |
144 |  Montenegro | NaN % of GDP |
145 |  North Macedonia | NaN % of GDP |
146 |  Monaco | 1.2 % of GDP |
147 |  New Caledonia | NaN % of GDP |
148 |  Niue | NaN % of GDP |
149 |  Nigeria | NaN % of GDP |
150 |  Nauru | NaN % of GDP |
151 |  Suriname | NaN % of GDP |
152 |  Panama | 3.8 % of GDP |
153 |  Qatar | 3.3 % of GDP |
154 |  Nicaragua | 3.1 % of GDP |
155 |  Peru | 2.7 % of GDP |
156 |  Pakistan | 2.7 % of GDP |
157 |  Papua New Guinea | NaN % of GDP |
158 |  Guinea-Bissau | NaN % of GDP |
159 |  Saint Martin (French part) | NaN % of GDP |
160 |  Philippines | 2.8 % of GDP |
161 |  Puerto Rico | NaN % of GDP |
162 |  Saint Pierre and Miquelon | NaN % of GDP |
163 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 9.6 % of GDP |
164 |  Eswatini | 7.8 % of GDP |
165 |  Tunisia | 7.1 % of GDP |
166 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 6.6 % of GDP |
167 |  Namibia | 6.4 % of GDP |
168 |  Senegal | 5.8 % of GDP |
169 |  South Africa | 5.4 % of GDP |
170 |  Seychelles | 5 % of GDP |
171 |  Saint Helena | NaN % of GDP |
172 |  Slovenia | 5.2 % of GDP |
173 |  Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | NaN % of GDP |
174 |  Sweden | 6.6 % of GDP |
175 |  United States | 5.5 % of GDP |
176 |  Vietnam | 5.3 % of GDP |
177 |  Switzerland | 5.2 % of GDP |
178 |  Saint Lucia | 4.5 % of GDP |
179 |  Sierra Leone | 4.3 % of GDP |
180 |  San Marino | NaN % of GDP |
181 |  Singapore | 3 % of GDP |
182 |  Somalia | NaN % of GDP |
183 |  Timor-Leste | 16.8 % of GDP |
184 |  Samoa | 5.7 % of GDP |
185 |  United Kingdom | 5.5 % of GDP |
186 |  Yemen | 5.2 % of GDP |
187 |  Syrian Arab Republic | 4.9 % of GDP |
188 |  Spain | 4.3 % of GDP |
189 |  Saint Barthélemy | NaN % of GDP |
190 |  Trinidad and Tobago | NaN % of GDP |
191 |  Tanzania | 6.8 % of GDP |
192 |  Ukraine | 5.3 % of GDP |
193 |  Togo | 4.6 % of GDP |
194 |  Burkina Faso | 4.6 % of GDP |
195 |  Thailand | 4.1 % of GDP |
196 |  Tonga | 3.9 % of GDP |
197 |  Kuwait | 3.8 % of GDP |
198 |  Tajikistan | 3.5 % of GDP |
199 |  Turks and Caicos Islands | NaN % of GDP |
200 |  Tokelau | NaN % of GDP |
201 |  Sao Tome and Principe | NaN % of GDP |
202 |  Uganda | 3.2 % of GDP |
203 |  Turkey | 2.9 % of GDP |
204 |  Tuvalu | NaN % of GDP |
205 |  Taiwan | NaN % of GDP |
206 |  Turkmenistan | NaN % of GDP |
207 |  Venezuela | 3.7 % of GDP |
208 |  British Virgin Islands | 3.2 % of GDP |
209 |  Uruguay | 2.9 % of GDP |
210 |  Kazakhstan | 2.8 % of GDP |
211 |  Laos | 2.3 % of GDP |
212 |  Lebanon | 1.8 % of GDP |
213 |  Uzbekistan | NaN % of GDP |
214 |  United States Virgin Islands | NaN % of GDP |
215 |  Wallis and Futuna Islands | NaN % of GDP |
216 |  Zambia | 1.3 % of GDP |
217 |  Zimbabwe | NaN % of GDP |
- #1Cuba
- #2Botswana
- #3Djibouti
- #4Aruba
- #5Antigua and Barbuda
- #6United Arab Emirates
- #7Afghanistan
- #8Burundi
- #9Denmark
- #10Comoros
Analysis: These countries represent the highest values in this dataset, showcasing significant scale and impact on global statistics.
- #217Zimbabwe
- #216Zambia
- #215Wallis and Futuna Islands
- #214United States Virgin Islands
- #213Uzbekistan
- #212Lebanon
- #211Laos
- #210Kazakhstan
- #209Uruguay
- #208British Virgin Islands
Context: These countries or territories have the lowest values, often due to geographic size, administrative status, or specific characteristics.
Analysis & Context
In 2011, Timor-Leste led the world in Education Expenditure (% of GDP) with a staggering 16.8%, while globally, the range of education spending extended from a minimum of 0.60% to a maximum of 16.80%. The worldwide average for this metric was 4.72%, providing a benchmark for understanding national spending priorities in the realm of education.
Top Performers and Their Socio-Political Context
The countries leading in education expenditure often reflect a commitment to social development and education reform. Timor-Leste tops the chart, likely due to its post-conflict reconstruction efforts where education is pivotal for nation-building. Similarly, Cuba at 13.6% and Lesotho at 12.4% demonstrate how governmental policies prioritize education despite economic challenges. Cuba’s long-standing emphasis on education as a pillar of its socialist model illustrates how political ideologies can shape spending patterns.
Other high spenders like the Maldives at 11.2% and Republic of Moldova at 9.6% suggest a strategic focus on human capital development to support economic growth in small or transitioning economies. These countries recognize education as a crucial investment for future competitiveness and social stability.
Lower Expenditure and Economic Constraints
On the lower end of the spectrum, countries like Equatorial Guinea with just 0.6% and the United Arab Emirates at 1.2% reflect differing economic realities. Equatorial Guinea's minimal spending may highlight a reliance on oil revenues where education is not prioritized, whereas the UAE’s low percentage could be attributed to a GDP heavily bolstered by non-education sectors like oil and finance, diluting the relative percentage spent on education.
Similarly, Monaco and Zambia both at 1.2% and 1.3% respectively, showcase how microstates and low-income countries might struggle to allocate larger portions of their GDP to education, often due to limited fiscal space or competing sectoral demands.
Significant Year-over-Year Changes
Analyzing year-over-year changes, Timor-Leste exhibited the most dramatic increase in education expenditure, rising by 9.70% (a remarkable 136.6% increase), underscoring its aggressive post-conflict recovery and investment in education as a foundation for national development. The Maldives also saw a substantial increase of 3.10% (up 38.3%), reflecting similar developmental strategies.
Conversely, Monaco experienced a significant decrease of 3.20% (down 72.7%), possibly indicating shifts in governmental priorities or budget reallocations. Cyprus and Vanuatu also faced contractions of 3.00% and 2.10% respectively, which may reflect economic austerity measures or financial crises impacting public spending.
Economic and Policy Drivers of Education Expenditure
Several factors drive the differences in education expenditure across countries. Economic prosperity often correlates with higher education spending, as seen in countries like Cuba and Lesotho, where government policies prioritize education as a key driver of social mobility and economic development. Political stability and governance structures also play crucial roles in determining how resources are allocated.
Moreover, demographic pressures, such as a younger population in countries like Burundi (spending 8.3% of GDP on education), can necessitate higher investments to meet the needs of a burgeoning youth demographic. Conversely, countries with aging populations or those experiencing economic hardship may allocate fewer resources to education, as evidenced by lower expenditure figures in Equatorial Guinea and the Central African Republic at 1.3%.
Overall, education expenditure as a percentage of GDP in 2011 highlights the profound impact of economic, political, and demographic factors on national spending priorities, revealing a complex interplay that shapes educational investment across the globe.
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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