Education Expenditure (% of GDP) 2012

Education expenditure measures the percentage of GDP spent on education. Compare countries and explore interactive rankings and trends.

214 data points•Updated 3/28/2026•Global Coverage•CIA World Factbook•

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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 % of GDP
15	Cabo Verde	5.9 % of GDP
16	Belize	5.7 % of GDP
17	Brazil	5 % of GDP
18	Bhutan	4.8 % of GDP
19	Belarus	4.5 % of GDP
20	Algeria	4.3 % of GDP
21	Bulgaria	4.1 % of GDP
22	Azerbaijan	2.8 % of GDP
23	Albania	NaN % of GDP
24	Benin	3.5 % of GDP
25	Andorra	3.2 % of GDP
26	Angola	2.6 % of GDP
27	American Samoa	NaN % of GDP
28	Austria	5.4 % of GDP
29	Argentina	4.9 % of GDP
30	Canada	4.9 % of GDP
31	Colombia	4.8 % of GDP
32	Australia	4.5 % of GDP
33	Cyprus	4.1 % of GDP
34	Chile	4 % of GDP
35	Cameroon	3.7 % of GDP
36	Anguilla	3.5 % of GDP
37	Chad	3.2 % of GDP
38	Bahrain	2.9 % of GDP
39	Bermuda	2.6 % of GDP
40	Bahamas	NaN % of GDP
41	Cayman Islands	2.6 % of GDP
42	Bangladesh	2.4 % of GDP
43	Bosnia and Herzegovina	NaN % of GDP
44	Myanmar	NaN % of GDP
45	Solomon Islands	NaN % of GDP
46	Brunei Darussalam	NaN % of GDP
47	Cambodia	2.1 % 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	Northern Mariana Islands	NaN % of GDP
53	Central African Republic	1.3 % of GDP
54	Cook Islands	NaN % of GDP
55	Iceland	7.4 % of GDP
56	Kenya	7 % of GDP
57	Fiji	6.2 % of GDP
58	Dominica	4.7 % of GDP
59	Dominican Republic	2.3 % of GDP
60	Ecuador	NaN % of GDP
61	Guyana	6.1 % of GDP
62	Finland	5.9 % of GDP
63	Israel	5.9 % of GDP
64	Kyrgyzstan	5.9 % of GDP
65	Jamaica	5.8 % of GDP
66	France	5.6 % of GDP
67	Ethiopia	5.5 % of GDP
68	Ghana	5.4 % of GDP
69	Hungary	5.2 % of GDP
70	Latvia	5 % of GDP
71	Ireland	4.9 % of GDP
72	Estonia	4.9 % of GDP
73	Grenada	4.9 % of GDP
74	Iran	4.7 % of GDP
75	Lithuania	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	Kuwait	3.8 % of GDP
85	El Salvador	3.6 % of GDP
86	Japan	3.5 % of GDP
87	Georgia	3.2 % of GDP
88	Guatemala	3.2 % of GDP
89	India	3.1 % of GDP
90	Indonesia	2.8 % of GDP
91	Kazakhstan	2.8 % of GDP
92	Guinea	2.4 % of GDP
93	Laos	2.3 % of GDP
94	Eritrea	2 % of GDP
95	Gambia	2 % of GDP
96	Equatorial Guinea	0.6 % of GDP
97	French Polynesia	NaN % of GDP
98	Gabon	NaN % of GDP
99	Gibraltar	NaN % of GDP
100	Greenland	NaN % of GDP
101	Guam	NaN % of GDP
102	Haiti	NaN % of GDP
103	Honduras	NaN % of GDP
104	Iraq	NaN % of GDP
105	Jordan	NaN % of GDP
106	North Korea	NaN % of GDP
107	Kiribati	NaN % of GDP
108	Lesotho	12.4 % of GDP
109	Maldives	11.2 % of GDP
110	Republic of Moldova	9.6 % of GDP
111	Norway	6.8 % of GDP
112	Malta	6.4 % of GDP
113	New Zealand	6.1 % of GDP
114	Mongolia	5.6 % of GDP
115	Morocco	5.6 % of GDP
116	Saudi Arabia	5.6 % of GDP
117	Netherlands	5.3 % of GDP
118	Mozambique	5 % of GDP
119	Poland	4.9 % of GDP
120	Mexico	4.8 % of GDP
121	Vanuatu	4.8 % 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	Tajikistan	3.5 % of GDP
198	Turks and Caicos Islands	NaN % of GDP
199	Tokelau	NaN % of GDP
200	Sao Tome and Principe	NaN % of GDP
201	Uganda	3.2 % of GDP
202	Turkey	2.9 % of GDP
203	Tuvalu	NaN % of GDP
204	Taiwan	NaN % of GDP
205	Turkmenistan	NaN % of GDP
206	Venezuela	3.7 % of GDP
207	British Virgin Islands	3.2 % of GDP
208	Uruguay	2.9 % of GDP
209	Lebanon	1.8 % of GDP
210	Uzbekistan	NaN % of GDP
211	United States Virgin Islands	NaN % of GDP
212	Wallis and Futuna Islands	NaN % of GDP
213	Zambia	1.3 % of GDP
214	Zimbabwe	NaN % of GDP

↑Top 10 Countries

Analysis: These countries represent the highest values in this dataset, showcasing significant scale and impact on global statistics.

↓Bottom 10 Countries

Context: These countries or territories have the lowest values, often due to geographic size, administrative status, or specific characteristics.

Analysis & Context

In 2012, Timor-Leste led the world in Education Expenditure (% of GDP) at 16.8%, while the global range spanned from 0.6% to 16.8%. The average expenditure across 158 countries was 4.72%, providing a benchmark for understanding global educational investment patterns.

Economic and Policy Drivers of High Education Expenditure

The leading countries in Education Expenditure (% of GDP) in 2012, such as Timor-Leste (16.8%), Cuba (13.6%), and Lesotho (12.4%), illustrate how government priorities and economic strategies significantly influence educational funding. In Cuba, the socialist government has historically prioritized education as a cornerstone of its social policy, leading to high investment levels. Similarly, Timor-Leste, emerging from conflict, focused on education to rebuild and develop human capital, reflecting a strategic choice for long-term economic growth. Meanwhile, Lesotho, despite economic challenges, allocates substantial resources to education as part of its efforts to address high poverty and unemployment rates.

Low Expenditure: Economic Constraints and Alternative Priorities

On the other end of the spectrum, countries like Equatorial Guinea (0.6%), United Arab Emirates (1.2%), and Monaco (1.2%) exhibit minimal education expenditure, often due to distinct economic structures and policy priorities. Equatorial Guinea, despite its oil wealth, has historically underfunded education, focusing more on infrastructure and other sectors. In contrast, the United Arab Emirates prioritizes diversification and investment in technology, potentially explaining its lower percentage allocation to education relative to its GDP. Meanwhile, Monaco, with its unique status as a wealthy microstate, may rely more on private education funding, reducing the need for high public expenditure.

Regional Trends and Their Implications

Regional patterns in Education Expenditure (% of GDP) often reflect broader socio-economic contexts. In Africa, countries like Lesotho and Botswana (8.9%) prioritize education to combat socio-economic challenges, while nations such as the Central African Republic (1.3%) struggle with limited fiscal capacity. In contrast, small island nations like Maldives (11.2%) and Saint Kitts and Nevis (9.6%) invest heavily in education as part of their development strategies, recognizing the role of human capital in sustaining economic growth and resilience against external shocks.

Year-over-Year Trends and Stability

The year-over-year changes in Education Expenditure (% of GDP) for 2012 reveal a predominantly stable landscape, with an average change of 0.00%. Notably, countries like Brazil experienced a slight decrease of -0.08% (-1.6%), reflecting possible reallocations in government spending or economic adjustments. Meanwhile, the stability of top spenders like Timor-Leste and Cuba, maintaining their high expenditure levels, underscores a consistent commitment to educational investment despite global economic uncertainties.

In conclusion, the analysis of Education Expenditure (% of GDP) in 2012 highlights the diverse approaches countries take in allocating resources to education. While economic capacity, government priorities, and regional challenges shape these patterns, the underlying commitment to education as a developmental pillar remains a common thread across varied contexts.

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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Historical Data by Year

Explore Education Expenditure (% of GDP) data across different years. Compare trends and see how statistics have changed over time.

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