Education spending in Gambia
Gambia: Education spending was 2.81 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Education spending in Gambia, 1985–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, education spending in Gambia stood at 2.81.
The figure is down 2.9% on the previous year and up 54.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, education spending in Gambia peaked at 4.3 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.6225, in 2004.
Gambia ranks 160th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Education spending in Gambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 4.3 | — |
| 1986 | 3.48 | -18.9% |
| 1989 | 2.97 | -14.7% |
| 1990 | 2.83 | -5.0% |
| 1991 | 3.78 | +33.8% |
| 1992 | 1.17 | -69.1% |
| 1995 | 2.55 | +118.3% |
| 1996 | 2.57 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 1.57 | -39.0% |
| 2000 | 1.47 | -6.3% |
| 2001 | 1.16 | -21.0% |
| 2002 | 1.44 | +24.6% |
| 2003 | 1.36 | -5.5% |
| 2004 | 0.6225 | -54.3% |
| 2005 | 0.6919 | +11.2% |
| 2006 | 0.7516 | +8.6% |
| 2007 | 0.8169 | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 2.18 | +167.0% |
| 2009 | 1.91 | -12.5% |
| 2010 | 2.56 | +34.3% |
| 2011 | 2.5 | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 2.64 | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 1.82 | -31.1% |
| 2014 | 2.23 | +22.7% |
| 2015 | 2.16 | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 2.02 | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 2.46 | +21.5% |
| 2018 | 2.37 | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 2.81 | +18.7% |
| 2020 | 2.89 | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 3.04 | +5.5% |
| 2022 | 2.89 | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 2.81 | -2.9% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 2.81 is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.81, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 2.81 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.2, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Education spending in Gambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +167.0% | 0.8169 | 2.18 |
| 1995 | +118.3% | 1.17 | 2.55 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.58 | 2.97 | 4.3 | 3 |
| 1990s | 2.41 | 1.17 | 3.78 | 6 |
| 2000s | 1.24 | 0.6225 | 2.18 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.36 | 1.82 | 2.81 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.91 | 2.81 | 3.04 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More education data for Gambia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 89.78 (2025)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 83.09 (2025)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,452 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 16,389 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 71,238 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77,061 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 369,783 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 442,901 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.4 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is education spending in Gambia?
- Education spending in Gambia was 2.81 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest education spending recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.3 in 1985.
- What is the lowest education spending recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6225 in 2004.
- How does Gambia rank for education spending?
- Gambia ranks 160th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is education spending rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 54.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Education spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).