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Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Iran

Iran: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 2.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2.8%
Change on year
up 5.8%
World rank
159th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.1%
in 1981
All-time low
2.6%
in 2014
Years of data
45
1971–2023

Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Iran, 1971–2023

024681971199720231971: 2.8 % of GDP1972: 2.8 % of GDP1973: 2.9 % of GDP1974: 2.7 % of GDP1975: 3 % of GDP1977: 5.4 % of GDP1981: 7.1 % of GDP1982: 5.8 % of GDP1983: 4.2 % of GDP1984: 3.8 % of GDP1985: 3.5 % of GDP1986: 3.6 % of GDP1987: 4.1 % of GDP1988: 3.7 % of GDP1989: 4 % of GDP1990: 3.8 % of GDP1991: 3.7 % of GDP1992: 3.6 % of GDP1993: 4.3 % of GDP1995: 4.1 % of GDP1996: 3.5 % of GDP1999: 4.2 % of GDP2000: 4 % of GDP2001: 4.1 % of GDP2002: 4.5 % of GDP2003: 4.4 % of GDP2004: 4.3 % of GDP2005: 4.1 % of GDP2006: 4.3 % of GDP2007: 4.6 % of GDP2008: 3.9 % of GDP2009: 3.8 % of GDP2010: 3.7 % of GDP2011: 3.5 % of GDP2012: 2.9 % of GDP2013: 2.9 % of GDP2014: 2.6 % of GDP2015: 2.6 % of GDP2016: 3.2 % of GDP2017: 3.5 % of GDP2018: 3.6 % of GDP2019: 3.2 % of GDP2020: 3.2 % of GDP2022: 2.7 % of GDP2023: 2.8 % of GDP

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 Iran stood at 2.8%.

The figure is up 5.8% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Iran peaked at 7.1% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 3.2% 2.7% 5.4% 6
1980s 4.4% 3.5% 7.1% 9
1990s 3.9% 3.5% 4.3% 7
2000s 4.2% 3.8% 4.6% 10
2010s 3.2% 2.6% 3.7% 10
2020s 2.9% 2.7% 3.2% 3

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 156 Suriname 2.9% compare
  2. 157 Democratic Republic of Congo 2.8% compare
  3. 158 Cameroon 2.8% compare
  4. 160 Gambia 2.8% compare
  5. 161 Malawi 2.7% compare
  6. 162 Bahamas 2.7% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More education data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Iran?
Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Iran 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 Iran?
The highest recorded value was 7.1% in 1981.
What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2014.
How does Iran rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
Iran ranks 159th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending on education as a share of gdp 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 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

Indicator
Government spending on education as a share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,187 data points, 1870–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.