Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Eritrea
Eritrea: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 2.1% in 2006. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Eritrea, 1996–2006
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Eritrea recorded 2.1% for government spending on education as a share of gdp in 2006.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 32.5% on the previous year and up 29.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Eritrea peaked at 5.3% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1996.
That places Eritrea 177th out of 199 countries with data for 2006, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Eritrea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1.6% | — |
| 1998 | 4.6% | +182.0% |
| 1999 | 5.3% | +13.9% |
| 2001 | 4.0% | -23.1% |
| 2002 | 3.5% | -12.9% |
| 2004 | 3.1% | -10.6% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | -32.5% |
Eritrea compared with similar countries
- Eritrea's 2.1% is below the median for low income countries, which is 2.8%, 76% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Eritrea's 2.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.2%, 66% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.8% | 1.6% | 5.3% | 3 |
| 2000s | 3.2% | 2.1% | 4.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
More education data for Eritrea
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 9,725 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 23,881 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 28,835 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 26,792 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 266,829 (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 398,090 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.7908 % change on previous year (2018)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2011)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1168 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Eritrea?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Eritrea was 2.1% in 2006, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Eritrea?
- The highest recorded value was 5.3% in 1999.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Eritrea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1996.
- How does Eritrea rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Eritrea ranks 177th out of 199 countries with data for 2006.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Eritrea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eritrea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.