Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 4.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Saudi Arabia, 1981–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 4.5% for government spending on education as a share of gdp in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Saudi Arabia peaked at 8.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, 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.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 3.9% | — |
| 1982 | 4.1% | +6.5% |
| 1983 | 6.0% | +44.3% |
| 1984 | 6.1% | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 6.3% | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 5.8% | -7.6% |
| 1992 | 5.1% | -11.0% |
| 1993 | 6.0% | +16.6% |
| 1994 | 6.3% | +5.7% |
| 1995 | 5.7% | -10.3% |
| 1996 | 4.9% | -13.2% |
| 1997 | 4.4% | -11.5% |
| 1998 | 8.3% | +89.2% |
| 1999 | 7.1% | -14.6% |
| 2000 | 5.9% | -16.4% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | +30.6% |
| 2002 | 7.6% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 7.1% | -7.0% |
| 2004 | 6.3% | -11.6% |
| 2005 | 5.4% | -13.5% |
| 2006 | 5.9% | +8.5% |
| 2008 | 5.1% | -12.8% |
| 2023 | 4.5% | -12.8% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 4.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.0× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 4.5% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.4%, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education as a share of GDP 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% | 4.4% | 8.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.3% | 3.9% | 6.3% | 5 |
| 1990s | 6.0% | 4.4% | 8.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.4% | 5.1% | 7.7% | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Saudi Arabia?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Saudi Arabia was 4.5% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.3% in 1998.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 1981.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 82nd out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp 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 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.