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

Latest (2024)
3.2%
Change on year
down 3.2%
World rank
144th
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.6%
in 2013
All-time low
1.5%
in 1990
Years of data
31
1971–2024

Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Tanzania, 1971–2024

123451971199720241971: 1.7 % of GDP1972: 1.7 % of GDP1973: 1.9 % of GDP1974: 1.9 % of GDP1980: 2.6 % of GDP1989: 1.5 % of GDP1990: 1.5 % of GDP1996: 1.7 % of GDP1997: 1.7 % of GDP1998: 1.5 % of GDP2004: 3.6 % of GDP2005: 3.5 % of GDP2006: 3 % of GDP2007: 4 % of GDP2008: 4.2 % of GDP2009: 4 % of GDP2010: 4.5 % of GDP2011: 4.6 % of GDP2012: 4.2 % of GDP2013: 4.6 % of GDP2014: 3.4 % of GDP2015: 4.2 % of GDP2016: 4.1 % of GDP2017: 4.4 % of GDP2018: 3.7 % of GDP2019: 3.6 % of GDP2020: 3.2 % of GDP2021: 3.1 % of GDP2022: 3.2 % of GDP2023: 3.3 % of GDP2024: 3.2 % of GDP

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 141 Benin 3.2% compare
  2. 142 Chad 3.2% compare
  3. 143 British Virgin Islands 3.2% compare
  4. 145 Antigua and Barbuda 3.1% compare
  5. 146 Turkey 3.1% compare
  6. 147 Albania 3.1% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More education data for Tanzania

All data for Tanzania →

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.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending on education as a share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,187 data points, 1870–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.