Education Expenditure (% of GDP) 2021

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

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

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Complete Data Rankings

Rank
1	Namibia	9.4 % of GDP
2	Sierra Leone	9.3 % of GDP
3	Lesotho	7.4 % of GDP
4	Tunisia	7.3 % of GDP
5	Botswana	6.9 % of GDP
6	South Africa	6.8 % of GDP
7	Mozambique	6.2 % of GDP
8	Algeria	6.1 % of GDP
9	Sao Tome and Principe	5.9 % of GDP
10	Burkina Faso	5.8 % of GDP
11	Senegal	5.3 % of GDP
12	Eswatini	5.3 % of GDP
13	Burundi	5.1 % of GDP
14	Ethiopia	5.1 % of GDP
15	Kenya	5.1 % of GDP
16	Togo	5 % of GDP
17	Cabo Verde	4.7 % of GDP
18	Mauritius	4.6 % of GDP
19	Zambia	4.5 % of GDP
20	Ghana	4 % of GDP
21	Congo	3.9 % of GDP
22	Egypt	3.9 % of GDP
23	Seychelles	3.9 % of GDP
24	Côte d'Ivoire	3.7 % of GDP
25	Djibouti	3.6 % of GDP
26	Zimbabwe	3.6 % of GDP
27	Niger	3.5 % of GDP
28	Mali	3.4 % of GDP
29	Rwanda	3.4 % of GDP
30	Cameroon	3.1 % of GDP
31	Tanzania	3.1 % of GDP
32	Benin	3 % of GDP
33	Uganda	3 % of GDP
34	Gambia	2.9 % of GDP
35	Madagascar	2.9 % of GDP
36	Malawi	2.9 % of GDP
37	Guinea-Bissau	2.9 % of GDP
38	Gabon	2.8 % of GDP
39	Comoros	2.5 % of GDP
40	Chad	2.4 % of GDP
41	Liberia	2.3 % of GDP
42	Guinea	2.2 % of GDP
43	Angola	1.8 % of GDP
44	Central African Republic	1.8 % of GDP
45	Congo, Democratic Republic of the	1.5 % of GDP
46	Equatorial Guinea	NaN % of GDP
47	Eritrea	NaN % of GDP
48	Libya	NaN % of GDP
49	Morocco	NaN % of GDP
50	Mauritania	1.9 % of GDP
51	Nigeria	NaN % of GDP
52	South Sudan	1.5 % of GDP
53	Saint Helena	NaN % of GDP
54	Somalia	NaN % of GDP
55	American Samoa	NaN % of GDP
56	Kiribati	12.4 % of GDP
57	Solomon Islands	10.1 % of GDP
58	Montserrat	9.1 % of GDP
59	Belize	7.9 % of GDP
60	Costa Rica	6.7 % of GDP
61	Puerto Rico	6.1 % of GDP
62	Tajikistan	5.7 % of GDP
63	Jamaica	5.4 % of GDP
64	Australia	5.1 % of GDP
65	Northern Mariana Islands	NaN % of GDP
66	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	5.7 % of GDP
67	Kyrgyzstan	5.4 % of GDP
68	Fiji	5.1 % of GDP
69	Honduras	4.9 % of GDP
70	Curaçao	4.9 % of GDP
71	Dominican Republic	4 % of GDP
72	Anguilla	3.6 % of GDP
73	Cook Islands	3.5 % of GDP
74	French Polynesia	NaN % of GDP
75	Guam	NaN % of GDP
76	New Caledonia	NaN % of GDP
77	Niue	NaN % of GDP
78	Dominica	5 % of GDP
79	Russia	4.7 % of GDP
80	Grenada	3.6 % of GDP
81	Saint Lucia	3.6 % of GDP
82	Trinidad and Tobago	3.6 % of GDP
83	Turks and Caicos Islands	3.5 % of GDP
84	Panama	3.1 % of GDP
85	Bahamas	2.5 % of GDP
86	Vanuatu	2.3 % of GDP
87	Nauru	NaN % of GDP
88	New Zealand	6 % of GDP
89	Tokelau	NaN % of GDP
90	Tonga	8 % of GDP
91	Tuvalu	NaN % of GDP
92	Wallis and Futuna Islands	NaN % of GDP
93	Aruba	5.5 % of GDP
94	Samoa	4.8 % of GDP
95	Barbados	4.3 % of GDP
96	El Salvador	3.4 % of GDP
97	Antigua and Barbuda	3.3 % of GDP
98	Cayman Islands	NaN % of GDP
99	Cuba	NaN % of GDP
100	Nicaragua	3.4 % of GDP
101	Guatemala	3.3 % of GDP
102	Haiti	1.7 % of GDP
103	Sint Maarten (Dutch part)	NaN % of GDP
104	Saint Martin (French part)	NaN % of GDP
105	Saint Kitts and Nevis	2.6 % of GDP
106	Saint Barthélemy	NaN % of GDP
107	Turkmenistan	3.1 % of GDP
108	British Virgin Islands	2.9 % of GDP
109	United States Virgin Islands	NaN % of GDP
110	Faroe Islands	8.2 % of GDP
111	Denmark	7.8 % of GDP
112	Iceland	7.6 % of GDP
113	Norway	7.6 % of GDP
114	Timor-Leste	6.8 % of GDP
115	Belgium	6.4 % of GDP
116	Finland	6.3 % of GDP
117	Republic of Moldova	6.1 % of GDP
118	Cyprus	5.8 % of GDP
119	France	5.4 % of GDP
120	Netherlands	5.4 % of GDP
121	Austria	5.2 % of GDP
122	Estonia	5.2 % of GDP
123	Uzbekistan	5.1 % of GDP
124	Belarus	5 % of GDP
125	Germany	5 % of GDP
126	Mongolia	4.9 % of GDP
127	Malta	4.7 % of GDP
128	Portugal	4.7 % of GDP
129	Hungary	4.6 % of GDP
130	Poland	4.6 % of GDP
131	South Korea	4.5 % of GDP
132	Brunei Darussalam	4.4 % of GDP
133	Czech Republic	4.3 % of GDP
134	Italy	4.3 % of GDP
135	Malaysia	4.2 % of GDP
136	Latvia	4.2 % of GDP
137	Vietnam	4.1 % of GDP
138	Bulgaria	4.1 % of GDP
139	Slovakia	4 % of GDP
140	Albania	3.9 % of GDP
141	Croatia	3.9 % of GDP
142	Lithuania	3.9 % of GDP
143	Luxembourg	3.7 % of GDP
144	Greece	3.6 % of GDP
145	China	3.5 % of GDP
146	Ireland	3.4 % of GDP
147	Japan	3.2 % of GDP
148	Philippines	3.2 % of GDP
149	Andorra	3.2 % of GDP
150	Thailand	3 % of GDP
151	Laos	2.9 % of GDP
152	Indonesia	2.8 % of GDP
153	Singapore	2.5 % of GDP
154	Cambodia	2.2 % of GDP
155	Myanmar	2 % of GDP
156	North Korea	NaN % of GDP
157	Papua New Guinea	1.9 % of GDP
158	Taiwan	NaN % of GDP
159	Bosnia and Herzegovina	NaN % of GDP
160	Gibraltar	NaN % of GDP
161	Liechtenstein	2.6 % of GDP
162	Montenegro	NaN % of GDP
163	North Macedonia	NaN % of GDP
164	Greenland	10.6 % of GDP
165	Sweden	7.6 % of GDP
166	Bolivia	7.3 % of GDP
167	Suriname	7.2 % of GDP
168	Bhutan	6.9 % of GDP
169	Kuwait	6.6 % of GDP
170	Israel	6.2 % of GDP
171	Brazil	6.1 % of GDP
172	Ukraine	5.4 % of GDP
173	Oman	5.4 % of GDP
174	Chile	5.4 % of GDP
175	Canada	5.3 % of GDP
176	United Kingdom	5.2 % of GDP
177	United States	5 % of GDP
178	Slovenia	4.9 % of GDP
179	Switzerland	4.9 % of GDP
180	Argentina	4.8 % of GDP
181	Uruguay	4.7 % of GDP
182	Colombia	4.5 % of GDP
183	Guyana	4.5 % of GDP
184	Nepal	4.4 % of GDP
185	Turkey	4.3 % of GDP
186	Mexico	4.3 % of GDP
187	Spain	4.2 % of GDP
188	Peru	4.2 % of GDP
189	Ecuador	4.1 % of GDP
190	Maldives	4.1 % of GDP
191	Georgia	3.8 % of GDP
192	Iran	3.7 % of GDP
193	Serbia	3.6 % of GDP
194	Paraguay	3.5 % of GDP
195	San Marino	3.4 % of GDP
196	Romania	3.3 % of GDP
197	Holy See	NaN % of GDP
198	India	3.5 % of GDP
199	Qatar	3.2 % of GDP
200	Afghanistan	3.2 % of GDP
201	United Arab Emirates	3.1 % of GDP
202	Jordan	3 % of GDP
203	Kazakhstan	2.9 % of GDP
204	Azerbaijan	2.7 % of GDP
205	Lebanon	2.6 % of GDP
206	Bahrain	2.3 % of GDP
207	Iraq	NaN % of GDP
208	Saudi Arabia	NaN % of GDP
209	Syrian Arab Republic	NaN % of GDP
210	Yemen	NaN % of GDP
211	Pakistan	2.5 % of GDP
212	Bermuda	1.3 % of GDP
213	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	NaN % of GDP
214	Falkland Islands (Malvinas)	NaN % of GDP
215	Sri Lanka	2.1 % of GDP
216	Venezuela	1.3 % of GDP
217	Bangladesh	1.3 % of GDP
218	Monaco	1.2 % 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 2021, the country with the highest Education Expenditure (% of GDP) was Kiribati, spending 12.4% of its GDP on education. Globally, education expenditure ranged from 1.20% to 12.40% of GDP. The global average expenditure on education was 4.44%, providing a benchmark for educational investment worldwide.

Understanding the Leaders in Education Expenditure

The top countries in terms of Education Expenditure (% of GDP) often share certain characteristics that drive their educational investments. Kiribati, leading with 12.4%, exemplifies how small island nations prioritize education as a means to foster economic development and social stability. Similarly, Greenland and the Solomon Islands allocate 10.6% and 10.1% of their GDP, respectively, underscoring a commitment to educational infrastructure as a catalyst for growth in geographically isolated regions.

These countries often grapple with limited economic diversification, making education a critical tool for long-term development. For instance, Namibia, with an expenditure of 9.4%, invests heavily in education to address historical inequalities and build human capital. This trend is mirrored in other high-expenditure countries like Sierra Leone and Montserrat, which spend 9.3% and 9.1% of GDP, respectively.

Challenges Faced by Low Expenditure Countries

Conversely, countries with the lowest education expenditure percentages often face significant economic and political challenges. Monaco, Bangladesh, and Venezuela report education expenditures of 1.2% and 1.3% respectively. In many cases, limited resources are allocated to education due to competing needs such as healthcare, infrastructure, and economic stabilization.

In nations like South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which spend 1.5% of GDP on education, the challenges are compounded by political instability and conflict, which divert funds from educational development to immediate humanitarian needs. Similarly, countries like Haiti and Angola struggle with economic constraints, spending 1.7% and 1.8% of their GDP, respectively, on education, reflecting the impact of economic limitations on educational funding.

Analyzing Year-over-Year Changes in Expenditure

Examining the year-over-year changes in education expenditure reveals significant shifts in priorities and economic conditions. Namibia saw the largest increase of 6.30%, a substantial 203.2% rise, indicating a strategic pivot toward addressing educational needs. This increase can be attributed to targeted government policies aimed at enhancing educational access and quality.

Other notable increases include Sierra Leone with a 1.60% rise, reflecting a 20.8% increase, and Fiji with a 1.20% increase, marking a 30.8% growth. These shifts often result from policy decisions to bolster educational outcomes as a foundation for sustainable development.

In contrast, countries like Zimbabwe and Vanuatu experienced significant declines, with reductions of 2.30% and 2.20% respectively, representing -39.0% and -48.9% changes. These decreases often correlate with economic downturns or reallocations of budgetary priorities due to pressing economic challenges.

Global Implications and Future Trends

The global landscape of Education Expenditure (% of GDP) in 2021 highlights the diverse approaches countries take in prioritizing education within their economic frameworks. While some nations view education as a strategic investment in their future, others are constrained by immediate economic pressures and limited resources.

As the world continues to navigate post-pandemic recovery and economic challenges, the trends in education expenditure will likely reflect broader shifts in global priorities. Nations with rising education expenditures might serve as models for others seeking to enhance their educational systems as a catalyst for economic growth and social stability. Conversely, countries with declining investments may need to reassess their strategies to ensure that educational needs are met amid competing demands.

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.

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008

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