Barbados vs South Africa: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP
Barbados
1.1%
in 2024
South Africa
1.2%
in 2024
Barbados rank
43rd
South Africa rank
41st
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP over time
- Barbados
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1.2% against 1.1% in Barbados, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Barbados's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 25 shared years of data; in 1991 it was Barbados ahead.
Barbados ranks 43rd and South Africa ranks 41st of 173 countries.
Barbados has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Barbados | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 0.3% | Barbados |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 0.6% | 1.0% | Barbados |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 0.7% | 0.8% | Barbados |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.1% | Barbados |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp, Barbados or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 1.2% against 1.1% in Barbados as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp between Barbados and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Barbados and South Africa?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2024.
- How do Barbados and South Africa rank globally for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Barbados ranks 43rd and South Africa ranks 41st of 173 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Government expenditure on tertiary 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