Education Expenditure (% of GDP) 2024

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	Namibia	9.6 % of GDP
2	Sierra Leone	9.1 % of GDP
3	Botswana	8.7 % of GDP
4	Lesotho	8.7 % of GDP
5	Cabo Verde	7.6 % of GDP
6	Tunisia	7.3 % of GDP
7	Algeria	7 % of GDP
8	Morocco	6.8 % of GDP
9	South Africa	6.6 % of GDP
10	Mozambique	6.3 % of GDP
11	Senegal	5.5 % of GDP
12	Burkina Faso	5.5 % of GDP
13	Seychelles	5.2 % of GDP
14	Burundi	5 % of GDP
15	Sao Tome and Principe	5 % of GDP
16	Eswatini	5 % of GDP
17	Mauritius	4.9 % of GDP
18	Kenya	4.8 % of GDP
19	Congo	4.5 % of GDP
20	Ethiopia	4.5 % of GDP
21	Mali	4.4 % of GDP
22	Togo	4 % of GDP
23	Ghana	3.9 % of GDP
24	Zimbabwe	3.9 % of GDP
25	Niger	3.8 % of GDP
26	Rwanda	3.8 % of GDP
27	Zambia	3.7 % of GDP
28	Djibouti	3.6 % of GDP
29	Côte d'Ivoire	3.4 % of GDP
30	Tanzania	3.3 % of GDP
31	Cameroon	3.2 % of GDP
32	Gabon	3.2 % of GDP
33	Madagascar	3.1 % of GDP
34	Benin	3 % of GDP
35	Chad	2.9 % of GDP
36	Malawi	2.9 % of GDP
37	Gambia	2.8 % of GDP
38	Congo, Democratic Republic of the	2.7 % of GDP
39	Liberia	2.7 % of GDP
40	Guinea-Bissau	2.7 % of GDP
41	Uganda	2.7 % of GDP
42	Comoros	2.6 % of GDP
43	Egypt	2.5 % of GDP
44	Angola	2.4 % of GDP
45	Central African Republic	2.2 % of GDP
46	Equatorial Guinea	NaN % of GDP
47	Eritrea	NaN % of GDP
48	Guinea	2.2 % of GDP
49	Libya	NaN % of GDP
50	Mauritania	1.9 % of GDP
51	South Sudan	1.5 % of GDP
52	Nigeria	0.5 % of GDP
53	Saint Helena	NaN % of GDP
54	Somalia	0.3 % of GDP
55	American Samoa	NaN % of GDP
56	Solomon Islands	12.8 % of GDP
57	Kiribati	12.4 % of GDP
58	Tonga	6.6 % of GDP
59	Australia	6.1 % of GDP
60	Northern Mariana Islands	NaN % of GDP
61	Belize	8.7 % of GDP
62	Curaçao	7.4 % of GDP
63	Nauru	7.1 % of GDP
64	Costa Rica	6.7 % of GDP
65	Barbados	6.5 % of GDP
66	Kyrgyzstan	6.2 % of GDP
67	New Zealand	6 % of GDP
68	Tajikistan	5.9 % of GDP
69	Fiji	5.7 % of GDP
70	Aruba	5.5 % of GDP
71	Dominica	5.5 % of GDP
72	Cook Islands	4.6 % of GDP
73	French Polynesia	NaN % of GDP
74	Guam	NaN % of GDP
75	New Caledonia	NaN % of GDP
76	Honduras	6.4 % of GDP
77	Jamaica	6 % of GDP
78	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	5.7 % of GDP
79	Montserrat	5.4 % of GDP
80	Samoa	4.8 % of GDP
81	Dominican Republic	4.6 % of GDP
82	Nicaragua	4.6 % of GDP
83	Turks and Caicos Islands	4.5 % of GDP
84	El Salvador	4.1 % of GDP
85	Trinidad and Tobago	4.1 % of GDP
86	Anguilla	4 % of GDP
87	Panama	3.9 % of GDP
88	Grenada	3.6 % of GDP
89	Puerto Rico	3.6 % of GDP
90	Saint Lucia	3.6 % of GDP
91	Guatemala	3.1 % of GDP
92	Bahamas	2.8 % of GDP
93	Vanuatu	2.2 % of GDP
94	Cuba	NaN % of GDP
95	Tuvalu	NaN % of GDP
96	Wallis and Futuna Islands	NaN % of GDP
97	Kazakhstan	4.5 % of GDP
98	Antigua and Barbuda	3.8 % of GDP
99	Russia	3.7 % of GDP
100	Turkmenistan	3.1 % of GDP
101	British Virgin Islands	2.6 % of GDP
102	Cayman Islands	2.1 % of GDP
103	Haiti	1.4 % of GDP
104	Sint Maarten (Dutch part)	NaN % of GDP
105	Saint Martin (French part)	NaN % of GDP
106	Saint Kitts and Nevis	2.5 % of GDP
107	Saint Barthélemy	NaN % of GDP
108	United States Virgin Islands	NaN % of GDP
109	Iceland	7.7 % of GDP
110	Faroe Islands	7.6 % of GDP
111	Belgium	6.7 % of GDP
112	Estonia	6.6 % of GDP
113	Denmark	6.4 % of GDP
114	Republic of Moldova	6.4 % of GDP
115	Cyprus	6.1 % of GDP
116	Latvia	6 % of GDP
117	Finland	5.9 % of GDP
118	Malta	5.9 % of GDP
119	Norway	5.9 % of GDP
120	France	5.5 % of GDP
121	Croatia	5.5 % of GDP
122	Netherlands	5.3 % of GDP
123	Poland	5.2 % of GDP
124	Austria	5.1 % of GDP
125	Czech Republic	5.1 % of GDP
126	Luxembourg	5 % of GDP
127	Uzbekistan	4.9 % of GDP
128	Hungary	4.8 % of GDP
129	South Korea	4.7 % of GDP
130	Mongolia	4.7 % of GDP
131	Belarus	4.7 % of GDP
132	Germany	4.7 % of GDP
133	Slovakia	4.6 % of GDP
134	Brunei Darussalam	4.4 % of GDP
135	Greece	4.4 % of GDP
136	Italy	4.3 % of GDP
137	Timor-Leste	4.2 % of GDP
138	Vietnam	4.1 % of GDP
139	Bulgaria	4 % of GDP
140	Lithuania	4 % of GDP
141	Malaysia	3.9 % of GDP
142	Philippines	3.7 % of GDP
143	China	3.6 % of GDP
144	Indonesia	3.5 % of GDP
145	Japan	3.4 % of GDP
146	Thailand	3.2 % of GDP
147	Cambodia	3.1 % of GDP
148	Albania	3.1 % of GDP
149	Ireland	3.1 % of GDP
150	Andorra	2.9 % of GDP
151	Singapore	2.8 % of GDP
152	Laos	2.3 % of GDP
153	Myanmar	2.1 % of GDP
154	North Korea	NaN % of GDP
155	Papua New Guinea	1.4 % of GDP
156	Taiwan	NaN % of GDP
157	Bosnia and Herzegovina	NaN % of GDP
158	Gibraltar	NaN % of GDP
159	Liechtenstein	2.6 % of GDP
160	Montenegro	NaN % of GDP
161	North Macedonia	NaN % of GDP
162	Greenland	10.2 % of GDP
163	Bolivia	9.8 % of GDP
164	Saudi Arabia	7.8 % of GDP
165	Sweden	7.2 % of GDP
166	Israel	7.1 % of GDP
167	Bhutan	7 % of GDP
168	Kuwait	6.6 % of GDP
169	United States	6.1 % of GDP
170	Brazil	6 % of GDP
171	Slovenia	5.8 % of GDP
172	Maldives	5.8 % of GDP
173	Chile	5.6 % of GDP
174	United Kingdom	5.5 % of GDP
175	Ukraine	5.4 % of GDP
176	Oman	5.4 % of GDP
177	Switzerland	5.2 % of GDP
178	Canada	5.2 % of GDP
179	Portugal	5 % of GDP
180	Argentina	5 % of GDP
181	Suriname	5 % of GDP
182	Colombia	4.9 % of GDP
183	Iraq	4.7 % of GDP
184	Spain	4.6 % of GDP
185	Uruguay	4.6 % of GDP
186	Guyana	4.5 % of GDP
187	India	4.5 % of GDP
188	Azerbaijan	4.3 % of GDP
189	Mexico	4.3 % of GDP
190	Nepal	4.2 % of GDP
191	Peru	4 % of GDP
192	United Arab Emirates	3.9 % of GDP
193	Romania	3.7 % of GDP
194	Ecuador	3.7 % of GDP
195	Serbia	3.6 % of GDP
196	Georgia	3.6 % of GDP
197	Iran	3.6 % of GDP
198	San Marino	3.4 % of GDP
199	Turkey	3.4 % of GDP
200	Paraguay	3.3 % of GDP
201	Jordan	3.2 % of GDP
202	Qatar	3.2 % of GDP
203	Afghanistan	2.9 % of GDP
204	Pakistan	2.4 % of GDP
205	Bahrain	2.2 % of GDP
206	Bangladesh	2.1 % of GDP
207	Bermuda	1.9 % of GDP
208	Lebanon	1.7 % of GDP
209	Syrian Arab Republic	NaN % of GDP
210	Yemen	NaN % of GDP
211	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	NaN % of GDP
212	Sri Lanka	1.9 % of GDP
213	Venezuela	1.3 % of GDP
214	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 2024, the Solomon Islands leads the world in Education Expenditure (% of GDP), allocating 12.8% of its GDP to education. The global range for education expenditure spans from 0.30% in Somalia to the Solomon Islands' 12.8%. The global average expenditure on education stands at 4.61% of GDP, providing a benchmark for assessing national priorities in educational investment.

Geographical Influence on Education Expenditure

Geographical factors appear to significantly influence education expenditure patterns. Island nations such as the Solomon Islands and Kiribati rank among the highest, dedicating 12.8% and 12.4% of GDP, respectively. These countries often face unique challenges including limited resources and the need for specialized infrastructure, which can drive higher education spending as a percentage of GDP. Conversely, countries like Nigeria, with its vast landmass and diverse population, spend only 0.5% of GDP on education, potentially reflecting broader economic priorities and challenges such as infrastructure development and poverty alleviation.

Economic and Policy Drivers

Economic status and governmental policies play critical roles in shaping education expenditure. Wealthy nations or those prioritizing education in national policy often allocate more substantial portions of GDP to education. For example, Saudi Arabia spends 7.8% of its GDP on education, reflecting its strategic focus on diversifying its economy and enhancing human capital. In contrast, Somalia and South Sudan, with expenditures of 0.3% and 1.5% respectively, face ongoing conflicts and economic instability, which severely constrain their ability to invest in education.

Demographic Impact on Education Spending

Demographics also influence education expenditure levels. Countries with younger populations may prioritize education spending to cater to growing educational demands. For instance, Namibia and Lesotho, allocating 9.6% and 8.7% of GDP, respectively, are investing heavily in education to harness the potential of their youthful populations. In contrast, countries like Monaco, with an older demographic profile, spend only 1.2% of GDP on education, reflecting different societal needs and priorities.

Stability in Year-over-Year Changes

The data for 2024 shows remarkable stability in year-over-year changes, with no significant fluctuations in education expenditure percentages. Countries such as the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, and Greenland reported no change in their education spending as a percentage of GDP. This stability may indicate a consistent commitment to educational policies or reflect economic conditions that limit shifts in fiscal allocations. The absence of notable increases or decreases suggests that the countries are maintaining their existing educational investment strategies rather than responding to new fiscal or policy pressures.

Overall, the analysis of Education Expenditure (% of GDP) in 2024 reveals diverse approaches influenced by geographical, economic, and demographic factors. While some nations prioritize education as a critical component of their development strategy, others face challenges that restrict their ability to allocate more resources to this sector. Understanding these patterns provides valuable insights into the global landscape of educational investment and its implications for future growth and development.

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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