Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Myanmar
Myanmar: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 2.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Myanmar, 1972–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education as a share of gdp in Myanmar is 2.0%, measured in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 154.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Myanmar peaked at 3.3% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2011.
Myanmar ranks 181st of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Myanmar, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 2.9% | — |
| 1973 | 3.3% | +14.3% |
| 1975 | 2.0% | -39.3% |
| 1976 | 1.7% | -13.1% |
| 1977 | 1.6% | -5.1% |
| 1978 | 1.6% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | -26.8% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | -34.5% |
| 2017 | 2.2% | +175.1% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | -8.0% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | +0.4% |
Myanmar compared with similar countries
- Myanmar's 2.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 50% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Myanmar's 2.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.2%, 47% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.2% | 1.6% | 3.3% | 6 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 0.8% | 2.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Myanmar
More education data for Myanmar
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 153,660 (2018)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 25,434 (2018)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 76,947 (2018)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77,156 (2018)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.19 million (2018)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.30 million (2018)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.64 % change on previous year (2018)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2018)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1014 units per person (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Myanmar?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Myanmar was 2.0% in 2019, 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 Myanmar?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1973.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Myanmar?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2011.
- How does Myanmar rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Myanmar ranks 181st out of 199 countries with data for 2019.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Myanmar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 154.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Myanmar 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.