Israel vs South Africa: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP

Israel
5.9%
in 2022
South Africa
6.0%
in 2024
Israel rank
21st
South Africa rank
19th

Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP over time

  • Israel
  • South Africa
02468197319982024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 6.0% against 5.9% in Israel, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1987 it was Israel ahead.

Israel ranks 21st and South Africa ranks 19th of 185 countries.

Israel has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Israel South Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 5.0% 4.7% 0.3% Israel
1990s 5.7% 5.2% 0.5% Israel
2000s 5.8% 4.1% 1.7% Israel
2010s 5.8% 5.3% 0.5% Israel
2020s 6.2% 5.9% 0.3% Israel

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, Israel or South Africa?
South Africa, at 6.0% against 5.9% in Israel as of 2024.
What is the difference in initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp between Israel and South Africa?
0.1%, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Israel and South Africa?
31 years are reported by both, from 1987 to 2022.
How do Israel and South Africa rank globally for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
Israel ranks 21st 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

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Israel vs South Africa: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/initial-government-expenditure-on-education-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-percent/israel/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/initial-government-expenditure-on-education-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-percent/israel/south-africa/">Israel vs South Africa: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
185 places, 4,380 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release