Education Expenditure (% of GDP) 2017
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 | 12.8 % of GDP |
2 |  Solomon Islands | 10 % of GDP |
3 |  Botswana | 9.6 % of GDP |
4 |  Denmark | 8.6 % of GDP |
5 |  Iceland | 7.8 % of GDP |
6 |  Costa Rica | 7.6 % of GDP |
7 |  Bhutan | 7.4 % of GDP |
8 |  Bolivia | 7.3 % of GDP |
9 |  Finland | 7.2 % of GDP |
10 |  Cyprus | 6.4 % of GDP |
11 |  Ghana | 6.2 % of GDP |
12 |  Aruba | 6.1 % of GDP |
13 |  Honduras | 5.9 % of GDP |
14 |  Israel | 5.9 % of GDP |
15 |  Austria | 5.6 % of GDP |
16 |  France | 5.5 % of GDP |
17 |  Kyrgyzstan | 5.5 % of GDP |
18 |  Jamaica | 5.4 % of GDP |
19 |  Ireland | 5.3 % of GDP |
20 |  Kenya | 5.3 % of GDP |
21 |  Cabo Verde | 5 % of GDP |
22 |  Ecuador | 4.9 % of GDP |
23 |  Germany | 4.9 % of GDP |
24 |  Latvia | 4.9 % of GDP |
25 |  Estonia | 4.8 % of GDP |
26 |  Côte d'Ivoire | 4.7 % of GDP |
27 |  Croatia | 4.6 % of GDP |
28 |  South Korea | 4.6 % of GDP |
29 |  Djibouti | 4.5 % of GDP |
30 |  Ethiopia | 4.5 % of GDP |
31 |  Hungary | 4.2 % of GDP |
32 |  Italy | 4.2 % of GDP |
33 |  Czech Republic | 4.1 % of GDP |
34 |  Cook Islands | 4 % of GDP |
35 |  Fiji | 3.9 % of GDP |
36 |  Egypt | 3.8 % of GDP |
37 |  India | 3.8 % of GDP |
38 |  Japan | 3.8 % of GDP |
39 |  El Salvador | 3.4 % of GDP |
40 |  Indonesia | 3.3 % of GDP |
41 |  Laos | 3.3 % of GDP |
42 |  Guinea | 3.2 % of GDP |
43 |  Guyana | 3.2 % of GDP |
44 |  Kazakhstan | 3.1 % of GDP |
45 |  Guatemala | 3 % of GDP |
46 |  Iran | 2.9 % of GDP |
47 |  Gambia | 2.8 % of GDP |
48 |  Gabon | 2.7 % of GDP |
49 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 2.6 % of GDP |
50 |  United Arab Emirates | NaN % of GDP |
51 |  Barbados | 6.7 % of GDP |
52 |  Belgium | 6.4 % of GDP |
53 |  Belize | 6.2 % of GDP |
54 |  Congo | 6.2 % of GDP |
55 |  Brazil | 6 % of GDP |
56 |  Argentina | 5.5 % of GDP |
57 |  Burundi | 5.4 % of GDP |
58 |  Australia | 5.3 % of GDP |
59 |  Canada | 5.3 % of GDP |
60 |  Comoros | 5.1 % of GDP |
61 |  Belarus | 4.9 % of GDP |
62 |  Curaçao | 4.9 % of GDP |
63 |  Chile | 4.8 % of GDP |
64 |  Colombia | 4.5 % of GDP |
65 |  Algeria | 4.3 % of GDP |
66 |  Benin | 4.3 % of GDP |
67 |  Albania | 3.5 % of GDP |
68 |  Angola | 3.5 % of GDP |
69 |  Afghanistan | 3.4 % of GDP |
70 |  Andorra | 3.1 % of GDP |
71 |  Azerbaijan | 2.6 % of GDP |
72 |  American Samoa | NaN % of GDP |
73 |  Bulgaria | 4.1 % of GDP |
74 |  Brunei Darussalam | 3.7 % of GDP |
75 |  Cameroon | 3 % of GDP |
76 |  Chad | 2.9 % of GDP |
77 |  Anguilla | 2.8 % of GDP |
78 |  Bahrain | 2.6 % of GDP |
79 |  Bangladesh | 2.2 % of GDP |
80 |  Sri Lanka | 2.2 % of GDP |
81 |  Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 2.2 % of GDP |
82 |  Bermuda | 1.7 % of GDP |
83 |  Bahamas | NaN % of GDP |
84 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | NaN % of GDP |
85 |  Dominican Republic | 2.1 % of GDP |
86 |  Georgia | 2 % of GDP |
87 |  Cambodia | 1.9 % of GDP |
88 |  China | NaN % of GDP |
89 |  Cayman Islands | NaN % of GDP |
90 |  Central African Republic | 1.2 % of GDP |
91 |  Gibraltar | NaN % of GDP |
92 |  Haiti | NaN % of GDP |
93 |  Iraq | NaN % of GDP |
94 |  Jordan | NaN % of GDP |
95 |  North Korea | NaN % of GDP |
96 |  Lesotho | 13 % of GDP |
97 |  Malta | 8.3 % of GDP |
98 |  Republic of Moldova | 7.5 % of GDP |
99 |  Norway | 7.4 % of GDP |
100 |  Niger | 6.7 % of GDP |
101 |  Mozambique | 6.5 % of GDP |
102 |  New Zealand | 6.3 % of GDP |
103 |  Maldives | 5.7 % of GDP |
104 |  Malawi | 5.6 % of GDP |
105 |  Netherlands | 5.6 % of GDP |
106 |  Morocco | 5.3 % of GDP |
107 |  Portugal | 5.3 % of GDP |
108 |  Mexico | 5.2 % of GDP |
109 |  Montserrat | 5.1 % of GDP |
110 |  Mauritius | 5 % of GDP |
111 |  Oman | 5 % of GDP |
112 |  Malaysia | 5 % of GDP |
113 |  Paraguay | 5 % of GDP |
114 |  Vanuatu | 4.9 % of GDP |
115 |  Poland | 4.9 % of GDP |
116 |  Lithuania | 4.6 % of GDP |
117 |  Mongolia | 4.6 % of GDP |
118 |  Serbia | 4.2 % of GDP |
119 |  Slovakia | 4.1 % of GDP |
120 |  Luxembourg | 4.1 % of GDP |
121 |  Peru | 3.9 % of GDP |
122 |  Mauritania | 2.9 % of GDP |
123 |  Liberia | 2.8 % of GDP |
124 |  Liechtenstein | 2.6 % of GDP |
125 |  Libya | NaN % of GDP |
126 |  Madagascar | 2.1 % of GDP |
127 |  Montenegro | NaN % of GDP |
128 |  Nepal | 3.7 % of GDP |
129 |  Mali | 3.6 % of GDP |
130 |  Qatar | 3.5 % of GDP |
131 |  Romania | 2.9 % of GDP |
132 |  Monaco | 1 % of GDP |
133 |  Niue | NaN % of GDP |
134 |  Nigeria | NaN % of GDP |
135 |  Nauru | NaN % of GDP |
136 |  Suriname | NaN % of GDP |
137 |  Nicaragua | 4.5 % of GDP |
138 |  Panama | 3.3 % of GDP |
139 |  Pakistan | 2.7 % of GDP |
140 |  Philippines | 2.7 % of GDP |
141 |  Guinea-Bissau | 2.2 % of GDP |
142 |  South Sudan | 0.8 % of GDP |
143 |  Papua New Guinea | NaN % of GDP |
144 |  Zimbabwe | 8.4 % of GDP |
145 |  Namibia | 8.3 % of GDP |
146 |  Timor-Leste | 7.9 % of GDP |
147 |  Sweden | 7.7 % of GDP |
148 |  Senegal | 7.2 % of GDP |
149 |  Eswatini | 7.1 % of GDP |
150 |  Venezuela | 6.9 % of GDP |
151 |  Puerto Rico | 6.4 % of GDP |
152 |  Tunisia | 6.3 % of GDP |
153 |  South Africa | 6.1 % of GDP |
154 |  Ukraine | 6 % of GDP |
155 |  United Kingdom | 5.8 % of GDP |
156 |  Vietnam | 5.7 % of GDP |
157 |  Slovenia | 5.5 % of GDP |
158 |  Togo | 5.3 % of GDP |
159 |  Tajikistan | 5.2 % of GDP |
160 |  Saudi Arabia | 5.1 % of GDP |
161 |  Syrian Arab Republic | 5.1 % of GDP |
162 |  Switzerland | 5.1 % of GDP |
163 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 5.1 % of GDP |
164 |  Samoa | 5.1 % of GDP |
165 |  Rwanda | 5 % of GDP |
166 |  United States | 4.9 % of GDP |
167 |  Saint Lucia | 4.8 % of GDP |
168 |  Turkey | 4.8 % of GDP |
169 |  Yemen | 4.6 % of GDP |
170 |  Uruguay | 4.4 % of GDP |
171 |  British Virgin Islands | 4.4 % of GDP |
172 |  Spain | 4.3 % of GDP |
173 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 4.2 % of GDP |
174 |  Thailand | 4.1 % of GDP |
175 |  Russia | 3.9 % of GDP |
176 |  Sao Tome and Principe | 3.9 % of GDP |
177 |  Burkina Faso | 3.9 % of GDP |
178 |  Seychelles | 3.6 % of GDP |
179 |  Tanzania | 3.5 % of GDP |
180 |  Turks and Caicos Islands | 3.3 % of GDP |
181 |  Singapore | 2.9 % of GDP |
182 |  Sierra Leone | 2.7 % of GDP |
183 |  Lebanon | 2.6 % of GDP |
184 |  San Marino | 2.4 % of GDP |
185 |  Somalia | NaN % of GDP |
186 |  Tokelau | NaN % of GDP |
187 |  Tuvalu | NaN % of GDP |
188 |  Turkmenistan | 3 % of GDP |
189 |  Uganda | 1.7 % of GDP |
190 |  Uzbekistan | NaN % of GDP |
191 |  Holy See | NaN % of GDP |
192 |  Zambia | 1.1 % of GDP |
Analysis: These countries represent the highest values in this dataset, showcasing significant scale and impact on global statistics.
- #192Zambia
- #191Holy See
- #190Uzbekistan
- #189Uganda
- #188Turkmenistan
- #187Tuvalu
- #186Tokelau
- #185Somalia
- #184San Marino
- #183Lebanon
Context: These countries or territories have the lowest values, often due to geographic size, administrative status, or specific characteristics.
Analysis & Context
In 2017, Lesotho led the world in Education Expenditure (% of GDP) with a staggering 13%. Globally, the expenditure ranged from 0.80% to 13.00%, highlighting a significant disparity among countries. The average global expenditure was 4.71%, while the median stood at 4.60%, reflecting a moderate investment in education relative to national economies.
High Expenditure: Policy and Priorities
Countries with the highest educational expenditure often reflect a strong policy emphasis on education as a tool for development. Lesotho, at the top with 13%, prioritizes education to combat poverty and drive socio-economic progress. Similarly, Cuba allocates 12.8%, consistent with its long-standing policy of universal education access and quality improvement. In contrast, the Solomon Islands and Botswana, spending 10% and 9.6% respectively, invest heavily in education to address workforce development in rapidly evolving economic landscapes.
Low Expenditure: Economic Constraints and Challenges
At the lower end of the spectrum, countries like South Sudan with 0.8% and Monaco with 1% demonstrate how economic constraints and differing national priorities influence educational spending. South Sudan faces severe economic challenges and political instability, which limit its capacity to invest in education. Conversely, Monaco's low percentage reflects its small size and the high GDP per capita, which reduces the relative percentage of GDP spent on education. Other countries like Zambia and the Central African Republic also demonstrate limited educational investment with expenditures of 1.1% and 1.2%, respectively, often due to broader fiscal constraints and competing needs.
Significant Year-over-Year Changes
In 2017, some countries experienced remarkable changes in their education expenditure. Zimbabwe saw a dramatic increase of 6.40% (320.0%), reflecting a shift in priorities towards rebuilding its education system post-crisis. Turkey and Senegal also increased their spending by 1.90% (65.5%) and 1.60% (28.6%), respectively, as part of broader educational reforms aimed at improving quality and accessibility. On the flip side, Eswatini and Malawi reduced their expenditure by 1.50% (-17.4%) and 1.30% (-18.8%), highlighting economic pressures or reallocation of resources to other sectors.
Regional Patterns and Influences
Analyzing regional patterns, African countries like Lesotho and Zimbabwe exhibit high educational investments as part of larger strategies to improve socio-economic outcomes. Meanwhile, European countries such as Denmark and Malta, with expenditures of 8.6% and 8.3%, respectively, illustrate a commitment to maintaining high educational standards and supporting knowledge-based economies. In contrast, many Asian and African nations with lower expenditures, such as Cambodia at 1.9% and Madagascar at 2.1%, face fiscal limitations that hinder their educational investments.
Overall, the data from 2017 reveals significant disparities in education expenditure across countries, driven by a complex interplay of economic capacity, policy priorities, and regional dynamics. Understanding these patterns is crucial for policymakers and educators aiming to optimize educational outcomes globally.
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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