Education spending in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Education spending was 1.83 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.83
Change on year
up 51.8%
World rank
187th
of 199 countries
All-time high
3.34
in 1996
All-time low
1.2
in 2022
Years of data
33
1973–2023
Education spending in Sri Lanka, 1973–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, education spending in Sri Lanka stood at 1.83.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 51.8% on the previous year and up 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, education spending in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.34 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1.2, in 2022.
That places Sri Lanka 187th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Education spending in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 3.32 | — |
| 1975 | 2.74 | -17.2% |
| 1979 | 2.57 | -6.5% |
| 1980 | 2.7 | +5.3% |
| 1981 | 2.44 | -9.7% |
| 1982 | 2.56 | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 2.39 | -6.6% |
| 1984 | 2.17 | -9.4% |
| 1985 | 2.58 | +19.0% |
| 1986 | 2.81 | +8.9% |
| 1987 | 2.64 | -5.7% |
| 1988 | 2.83 | +6.9% |
| 1989 | 2.76 | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 2.41 | -12.5% |
| 1991 | 2.92 | +20.9% |
| 1994 | 3.11 | +6.6% |
| 1995 | 2.96 | -4.9% |
| 1996 | 3.34 | +13.1% |
| 1998 | 3.05 | -8.7% |
| 2009 | 2.06 | -32.6% |
| 2010 | 1.66 | -19.2% |
| 2011 | 1.74 | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 1.45 | -16.6% |
| 2013 | 1.56 | +7.6% |
| 2014 | 1.86 | +18.8% |
| 2015 | 2.11 | +13.5% |
| 2016 | 3.23 | +53.0% |
| 2017 | 2.59 | -19.7% |
| 2018 | 1.99 | -23.3% |
| 2020 | 1.56 | -21.6% |
| 2021 | 1.51 | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 1.2 | -20.1% |
| 2023 | 1.83 | +51.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1.83 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.25, 43% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 1.83 is below the median for South Asia, which is 3.89, 47% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.88 | 2.57 | 3.32 | 3 |
| 1980s | 2.59 | 2.17 | 2.83 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.96 | 2.41 | 3.34 | 6 |
| 2000s | 2.06 | 2.06 | 2.06 | 1 |
| 2010s | 2.02 | 1.45 | 3.23 | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.52 | 1.2 | 1.83 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 91.41 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 90.86 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is education spending in Sri Lanka?
- Education spending in Sri Lanka was 1.83 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest education spending recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.34 in 1996.
- What is the lowest education spending recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2 in 2022.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for education spending?
- Sri Lanka ranks 187th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is education spending rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).