Education spending in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Education spending was 4.48 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Education spending in Saudi Arabia, 1981–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 4.48 for education spending in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, education spending in Saudi Arabia peaked at 8.28 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 3.89, in 1981.
Saudi Arabia ranks 82nd of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Education spending in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 3.89 | — |
| 1982 | 4.14 | +6.5% |
| 1983 | 5.98 | +44.3% |
| 1984 | 6.11 | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 6.26 | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 5.78 | -7.6% |
| 1992 | 5.14 | -11.0% |
| 1993 | 6 | +16.6% |
| 1994 | 6.34 | +5.7% |
| 1995 | 5.69 | -10.3% |
| 1996 | 4.94 | -13.2% |
| 1997 | 4.38 | -11.5% |
| 1998 | 8.28 | +89.2% |
| 1999 | 7.07 | -14.6% |
| 2000 | 5.91 | -16.4% |
| 2001 | 7.72 | +30.6% |
| 2002 | 7.64 | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 7.11 | -7.0% |
| 2004 | 6.28 | -11.6% |
| 2005 | 5.43 | -13.5% |
| 2006 | 5.89 | +8.5% |
| 2008 | 5.14 | -12.8% |
| 2023 | 4.48 | -12.8% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 4.48 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4, 1.0× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 4.48 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.38, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Education spending in Saudi Arabia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +89.2% | 4.38 | 8.28 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.28 | 3.89 | 6.26 | 5 |
| 1990s | 5.96 | 4.38 | 8.28 | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.39 | 5.14 | 7.72 | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.48 | 4.48 | 4.48 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.72 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.47 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is education spending in Saudi Arabia?
- Education spending in Saudi Arabia was 4.48 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest education spending recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.28 in 1998.
- What is the lowest education spending recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.89 in 1981.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for education spending?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 82nd out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is education spending rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).