Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in India
India: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 2.7% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in India, 2000–2018
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 India is 2.7%, measured in 2018.
That represents a change of down 21.1% on the previous year and up 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in India peaked at 3.9% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 2003.
That places India 122nd out of 123 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in India, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.5% | — |
| 2001 | 2.3% | -9.1% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | +17.8% |
| 2005 | 3.2% | +21.6% |
| 2006 | 3.7% | +16.6% |
| 2007 | 2.3% | -39.8% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | +6.6% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | +29.4% |
| 2011 | 3.1% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | +13.8% |
| 2013 | 3.3% | -7.6% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | +17.4% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | -18.3% |
| 2016 | 2.9% | -8.8% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | +16.8% |
| 2018 | 2.7% | -21.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.7% | 3.9% | 9 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.31 million (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 3.10 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19.37 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.52 million (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 133.16 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126.12 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -8.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0862 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in India?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in India was 2.7% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 2014.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 2003.
- How does India rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- India ranks 122nd out of 123 countries with data for 2018.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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 — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release