Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Gambia
Gambia: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 2.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Gambia, 1985–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Gambia stood at 2.8%.
The figure is down 2.9% on the previous year and up 54.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Gambia peaked at 4.3% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, 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.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 4.3% | — |
| 1986 | 3.5% | -18.9% |
| 1989 | 3.0% | -14.7% |
| 1990 | 2.8% | -5.0% |
| 1991 | 3.8% | +33.8% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | -69.1% |
| 1995 | 2.6% | +118.3% |
| 1996 | 2.6% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | -39.0% |
| 2000 | 1.5% | -6.3% |
| 2001 | 1.2% | -21.0% |
| 2002 | 1.4% | +24.6% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | -5.5% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -54.3% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | +11.2% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | +8.6% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 2.2% | +167.0% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | -12.5% |
| 2010 | 2.6% | +34.3% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -31.1% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +22.7% |
| 2015 | 2.2% | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | +21.5% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 2.8% | +18.7% |
| 2020 | 2.9% | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 3.0% | +5.5% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 2.8% | -2.9% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 2.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.8%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 2.8% 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 Government spending on education as a share of GDP 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% | 0.8% | 2.2% |
| 1995 | +118.3% | 1.2% | 2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.6% | 3.0% | 4.3% | 3 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 1.2% | 3.8% | 6 |
| 2000s | 1.2% | 0.6% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More education data for Gambia
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1569 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Gambia?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Gambia was 2.8% in 2023, 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 Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.3% in 1985.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2004.
- How does Gambia rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Gambia ranks 160th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp 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 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.