Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Liberia
Liberia: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 2.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Liberia, 1978–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Liberia recorded 2.3% for government spending on education as a share of gdp in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 34.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Liberia peaked at 7.0% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2013.
That places Liberia 174th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.0% | 7.0% | 7.0% | 1 |
| 1980s | 6.3% | 6.3% | 6.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.7% | 2.7% | 8 |
| 2020s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
More education data for Liberia
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.6% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 39.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 66.6% (2022)
- Primary education, teachers 37,210 (2022)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 3.86 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 67.4% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Liberia?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Liberia was 2.3% 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 Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.0% in 1978.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2013.
- How does Liberia rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Liberia ranks 174th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Liberia 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.