Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 12.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Hong Kong, China, 2002–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
The most recent figure for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Hong Kong, China is 12.7%, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of down 14.8% on the previous year and down 28.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Hong Kong, China peaked at 20.0% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 12.7%, in 2022.
That places Hong Kong, China 60th out of 123 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Hong Kong, China, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 19.1% | — |
| 2003 | 19.8% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 19.9% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 18.3% | -8.4% |
| 2006 | 20.0% | +9.8% |
| 2007 | 19.8% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 17.6% | -10.9% |
| 2009 | 18.2% | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 19.4% | +6.6% |
| 2011 | 17.5% | -9.6% |
| 2012 | 17.7% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 16.3% | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 17.5% | +7.6% |
| 2015 | 16.8% | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 17.0% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 17.8% | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 19.7% | +10.3% |
| 2019 | 17.5% | -11.2% |
| 2020 | 12.8% | -26.7% |
| 2021 | 14.9% | +15.9% |
| 2022 | 12.7% | -14.8% |
Hong Kong, China compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong, China's 12.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.2%, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong, China's 12.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 13.3%, 95% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.1% | 17.6% | 20.0% | 8 |
| 2010s | 17.7% | 16.3% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.4% | 12.7% | 14.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong, China
More education data for Hong Kong, China
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 31,678 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,605 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 72,557 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 65,737 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 340,877 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 329,780 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0438 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Hong Kong, China?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Hong Kong, China was 12.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The highest recorded value was 20.0% in 2006.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.7% in 2022.
- How does Hong Kong, China rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Hong Kong, China ranks 60th out of 123 countries with data for 2022.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Hong Kong, China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Hong Kong, China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (IMF calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release