Education spending in Iran
Iran: Education spending was 2.82 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Education spending in Iran, 1971–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, education spending in Iran stood at 2.82.
The figure is up 5.8% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, education spending in Iran peaked at 7.13 in 1981 and was at its lowest, 2.62, in 2014.
Iran ranks 159th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Education spending in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 2.77 | — |
| 1972 | 2.77 | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 2.88 | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 2.69 | -6.5% |
| 1975 | 2.97 | +10.2% |
| 1977 | 5.42 | +82.6% |
| 1981 | 7.13 | +31.7% |
| 1982 | 5.8 | -18.6% |
| 1983 | 4.18 | -27.9% |
| 1984 | 3.8 | -9.1% |
| 1985 | 3.46 | -9.0% |
| 1986 | 3.57 | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 4.14 | +16.0% |
| 1988 | 3.68 | -11.1% |
| 1989 | 4 | +8.6% |
| 1990 | 3.77 | -5.6% |
| 1991 | 3.74 | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 3.64 | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 4.31 | +18.5% |
| 1995 | 4.08 | -5.4% |
| 1996 | 3.54 | -13.3% |
| 1999 | 4.22 | +19.3% |
| 2000 | 4.03 | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 4.07 | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 4.48 | +10.1% |
| 2003 | 4.36 | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 4.3 | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 4.06 | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 4.29 | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 4.6 | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 3.91 | -14.9% |
| 2009 | 3.84 | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 3.71 | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 3.48 | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 2.94 | -15.7% |
| 2013 | 2.85 | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 2.62 | -8.3% |
| 2015 | 2.63 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 3.17 | +20.7% |
| 2017 | 3.46 | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 3.62 | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 3.24 | -10.5% |
| 2020 | 3.2 | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 2.67 | -16.7% |
| 2023 | 2.82 | +5.8% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 2.82 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.25, 67% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Iran's 2.82 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.38, 64% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Education spending in Iran 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | +82.6% | 2.97 | 5.42 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.25 | 2.69 | 5.42 | 6 |
| 1980s | 4.42 | 3.46 | 7.13 | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.9 | 3.54 | 4.31 | 7 |
| 2000s | 4.19 | 3.84 | 4.6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.17 | 2.62 | 3.71 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.9 | 2.67 | 3.2 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More education data for Iran
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.5 (2020)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.9 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is education spending in Iran?
- Education spending in Iran was 2.82 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest education spending recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 7.13 in 1981.
- What is the lowest education spending recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.62 in 2014.
- How does Iran rank for education spending?
- Iran ranks 159th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is education spending rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran 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 — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).