Eswatini vs South Africa: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP
Eswatini
6.0%
in 2024
South Africa
6.0%
in 2024
Eswatini rank
27th
South Africa rank
28th
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP over time
- Eswatini
- South Africa
How they compare
Eswatini currently reports 6.0% against 6.0% in South Africa, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1987 it was Eswatini ahead.
Eswatini ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 28th of 199 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Eswatini averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Eswatini | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.7% | 4.7% | 1.0% | Eswatini |
| 1990s | 5.2% | 5.1% | 0.1% | Eswatini |
| 2000s | 5.8% | 4.6% | 1.2% | Eswatini |
| 2010s | 5.9% | 5.5% | 0.4% | Eswatini |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 6.2% | 0.8% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp, Eswatini or South Africa?
- Eswatini, at 6.0% against 6.0% in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp between Eswatini and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with Eswatini ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Eswatini and South Africa?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1987 to 2024.
- How do Eswatini and South Africa rank globally for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Eswatini ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 28th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release