Iran vs South Africa: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government
Iran
18.8%
in 2022
South Africa
19.1%
in 2025
Iran rank
28th
South Africa rank
26th
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government over time
- Iran
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 19.1% against 18.8% in Iran, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 30 shared years of data; in 1987 it was South Africa ahead.
Iran ranks 28th and South Africa ranks 26th of 197 countries.
Iran has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| 1990s | 15.1% | 0.0% | 15.1% | Iran |
| 2000s | 21.8% | 17.2% | 4.5% | Iran |
| 2010s | 19.9% | 18.8% | 1.1% | Iran |
| 2020s | 20.7% | 19.3% | 1.5% | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher expenditure on education as a percentage of total government, Iran or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 19.1% against 18.8% in Iran as of 2025.
- What is the difference in expenditure on education as a percentage of total government between Iran and South Africa?
- 0.3%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and South Africa?
- 30 years are reported by both, from 1987 to 2022.
- How do Iran and South Africa rank globally for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Iran ranks 28th and South Africa ranks 26th of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release