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Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Zambia

Zambia: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 4.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
4.1%
Change on year
up 11.3%
World rank
105th
of 199 countries
All-time high
6.2%
in 1975
All-time low
1.1%
in 2008
Years of data
44
1970–2023

Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Zambia, 1970–2023

2461970199620231970: 4.4 % of GDP1971: 6.1 % of GDP1972: 5.9 % of GDP1973: 5.5 % of GDP1974: 4.9 % of GDP1975: 6.2 % of GDP1976: 6 % of GDP1977: 5.7 % of GDP1978: 4.7 % of GDP1979: 4.2 % of GDP1980: 4.1 % of GDP1981: 4 % of GDP1982: 5.2 % of GDP1983: 5.4 % of GDP1984: 5 % of GDP1985: 4.1 % of GDP1986: 3.3 % of GDP1987: 2.7 % of GDP1991: 2.7 % of GDP1992: 2.1 % of GDP1993: 1.9 % of GDP1994: 1.8 % of GDP1995: 1.8 % of GDP1998: 2.1 % of GDP1999: 1.8 % of GDP2000: 1.8 % of GDP2004: 2.5 % of GDP2005: 1.7 % of GDP2007: 1.2 % of GDP2008: 1.1 % of GDP2010: 3.4 % of GDP2011: 3.4 % of GDP2012: 3.7 % of GDP2013: 3.7 % of GDP2014: 5.2 % of GDP2015: 4.6 % of GDP2016: 3.7 % of GDP2017: 3.7 % of GDP2018: 4.7 % of GDP2019: 4.4 % of GDP2020: 3.9 % of GDP2021: 3.1 % of GDP2022: 3.7 % of GDP2023: 4.1 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2023, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Zambia stood at 4.1%.

The figure is up 11.3% on the previous year and up 9.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Zambia peaked at 6.2% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2008.

That places Zambia 105th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.4% 4.2% 6.2% 10
1980s 4.2% 2.7% 5.4% 8
1990s 2.0% 1.8% 2.7% 7
2000s 1.7% 1.1% 2.5% 5
2010s 4.1% 3.4% 5.2% 10
2020s 3.7% 3.1% 4.1% 4

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 102 India 4.1% compare
  2. 103 Croatia 4.1% compare
  3. 104 Niger 4.1% compare
  4. 106 Italy 4.1% compare
  5. 107 Mexico 4.1% compare
  6. 108 Kenya 4.0% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More education data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Zambia?
Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Zambia was 4.1% 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 Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 6.2% in 1975.
What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2008.
How does Zambia rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
Zambia ranks 105th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Zambia 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

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.