Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Tanzania
Tanzania: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 3.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Tanzania, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Tanzania stood at 3.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Tanzania peaked at 4.6% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 1990.
That places Tanzania 144th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.7% | — |
| 1972 | 1.7% | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 1.9% | +7.4% |
| 1974 | 1.9% | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 2.6% | +37.2% |
| 1989 | 1.5% | -41.0% |
| 1990 | 1.5% | -4.9% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | +18.5% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 1.5% | -11.5% |
| 2004 | 3.6% | +137.8% |
| 2005 | 3.5% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 3.0% | -15.2% |
| 2007 | 4.0% | +34.0% |
| 2008 | 4.2% | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 4.0% | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 4.5% | +14.7% |
| 2011 | 4.6% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 4.2% | -7.6% |
| 2013 | 4.6% | +9.6% |
| 2014 | 3.4% | -27.0% |
| 2015 | 4.2% | +23.9% |
| 2016 | 4.1% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 4.4% | +8.0% |
| 2018 | 3.7% | -16.5% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 3.2% | -10.2% |
| 2021 | 3.1% | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 3.3% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 3.2% | -3.2% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 3.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 78% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 3.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.2%, 99% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Tanzania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | +137.8% | 1.5% | 3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 4 |
| 1980s | 2.1% | 1.5% | 2.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.0% | 4.2% | 6 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 3.4% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More education data for Tanzania
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 106,006 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 331,605 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 851,911 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 824,648 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.83 million (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.3307 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1661 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Tanzania?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Tanzania was 3.2% in 2024, 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 2013.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 1990.
- How does Tanzania rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Tanzania ranks 144th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.