Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 0.4% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Zimbabwe, 2010–2023
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 Zimbabwe stood at 0.4%. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 93.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Zimbabwe peaked at 6.1% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2023.
That places Zimbabwe 197th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1.5% | — |
| 2012 | 6.1% | +293.1% |
| 2013 | 6.0% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 6.1% | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 0.4% | -93.7% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 0.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 10% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 0.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.2%, 12% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.9% | 1.5% | 6.1% | 4 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More education data for Zimbabwe
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,585 (2013)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 12,514 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 328,055 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 322,698 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 957,461 (2013)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.94 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.4866 % 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 0.1767 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Zimbabwe?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Zimbabwe was 0.4% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 6.1% in 2014.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2023.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Zimbabwe ranks 197th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 93.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.