Belgium vs South Africa: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP
Belgium
6.3%
in 2022
South Africa
6.0%
in 2024
Belgium rank
17th
South Africa rank
19th
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP over time
- Belgium
- South Africa
How they compare
Belgium currently reports 6.3% against 6.0% in South Africa, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 21 shared years of data; in 1987 it was South Africa ahead.
Belgium ranks 17th and South Africa ranks 19th of 185 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.4% | 4.8% | 0.4% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 4.6% | 5.2% | 0.6% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 6.2% | 4.1% | 2.0% | Belgium |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 5.3% | 1.2% | Belgium |
| 2020s | 6.5% | 5.9% | 0.5% | Belgium |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp, Belgium or South Africa?
- Belgium, at 6.3% against 6.0% in South Africa as of 2022.
- What is the difference in initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp between Belgium and South Africa?
- 0.3%, with Belgium ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and South Africa?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 1987 to 2022.
- How do Belgium and South Africa rank globally for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Belgium ranks 17th and South Africa ranks 19th of 185 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Initial 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