Denmark vs South Africa: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP
Denmark
6.4%
in 2022
South Africa
6.0%
in 2024
Denmark rank
16th
South Africa rank
19th
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP over time
- Denmark
- South Africa
How they compare
Denmark currently reports 6.4% against 6.0% in South Africa, a difference of 0.4%.
That makes Denmark's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 30 years both countries report, Denmark has been ahead every year.
Denmark ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 19th of 185 countries.
Denmark has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.1% | 4.7% | 1.4% | Denmark |
| 1990s | 7.3% | 5.3% | 2.1% | Denmark |
| 2000s | 8.0% | 4.1% | 3.9% | Denmark |
| 2010s | 7.8% | 5.2% | 2.5% | Denmark |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 5.9% | 1.0% | Denmark |
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, Denmark or South Africa?
- Denmark, at 6.4% 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 Denmark and South Africa?
- 0.4%, with Denmark ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and South Africa?
- 30 years are reported by both, from 1987 to 2022.
- How do Denmark and South Africa rank globally for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Denmark ranks 16th 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