Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Samoa
Samoa: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 17.1% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Samoa, 2010–2021
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 Samoa is 17.1%, measured in 2021.
The figure is up 8.9% on the previous year and down 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Samoa peaked at 19.5% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 13.2%, in 2017.
That places Samoa 24th out of 123 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Samoa, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 19.4% | — |
| 2011 | 19.5% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 15.1% | -22.4% |
| 2013 | 14.7% | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 14.5% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 14.0% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 14.4% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 13.2% | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 14.8% | +12.3% |
| 2019 | 15.3% | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 15.7% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 17.1% | +8.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15.5% | 13.2% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.4% | 15.7% | 17.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
More education data for Samoa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,211 (2010)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 397 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2,580 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2,585 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25,964 (2016)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 34,962 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1171 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1604 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Samoa?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Samoa was 17.1% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 19.5% in 2011.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.2% in 2017.
- How does Samoa rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Samoa ranks 24th out of 123 countries with data for 2021.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Samoa 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release