Eswatini vs South Africa: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP
Eswatini
2.2%
in 2021
South Africa
2.4%
in 2024
Eswatini rank
17th
South Africa rank
14th
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP over time
- Eswatini
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 2.4% against 2.2% in Eswatini, a difference of 0.2%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Eswatini's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 21 shared years of data; in 1999 it was South Africa ahead.
Eswatini ranks 17th and South Africa ranks 14th of 162 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Eswatini averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Eswatini | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.7% | 2.4% | 0.7% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 2.0% | 0.2% | Eswatini |
| 2010s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 0.5% | Eswatini |
| 2020s | 2.2% | 2.6% | 0.4% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp, Eswatini or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 2.4% against 2.2% in Eswatini as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp between Eswatini and South Africa?
- 0.2%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Eswatini and South Africa?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2021.
- How do Eswatini and South Africa rank globally for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Eswatini ranks 17th and South Africa ranks 14th of 162 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Government expenditure on primary 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