Current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of in South Africa
South Africa: Current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of was 26.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of in South Africa, 2003–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of in South Africa is 26.4%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of in South Africa peaked at 29.5% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2003.
That places South Africa 25th out of 115 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 5.4% | — |
| 2005 | 20.9% | +288.6% |
| 2014 | 29.5% | +41.0% |
| 2016 | 27.2% | -7.8% |
| 2017 | 28.0% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 22.6% | -19.3% |
| 2019 | 25.2% | +11.4% |
| 2020 | 26.6% | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 26.8% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 25.8% | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 27.3% | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 26.4% | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.1% | 5.4% | 20.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 26.5% | 22.6% | 29.5% | 5 |
| 2020s | 26.6% | 25.8% | 27.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of in South Africa?
- Current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of in South Africa was 26.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 29.5% in 2014.
- What is the lowest current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2003.
- How does South Africa rank for current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of?
- South Africa ranks 25th out of 115 countries with data for 2024.
- Is current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Current expenditure other than staff compensation as a percentage of total expenditure in public institutions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release