Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Zambia
Zambia: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 8.8% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Zambia, 2001–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 8.8% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
The figure is down 17.9% on the previous year and down 33.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Zambia peaked at 24.0% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 8.8%, in 2021.
Zambia ranks 101st of 123 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Zambia, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 15.9% | — |
| 2002 | 22.4% | +40.4% |
| 2003 | 19.8% | -11.3% |
| 2004 | 13.8% | -30.5% |
| 2005 | 9.8% | -28.7% |
| 2006 | 24.0% | +144.3% |
| 2007 | 13.6% | -43.3% |
| 2008 | 16.4% | +20.2% |
| 2009 | 16.4% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 13.5% | -18.0% |
| 2011 | 13.2% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 16.0% | +21.6% |
| 2013 | 14.1% | -11.9% |
| 2014 | 17.8% | +26.5% |
| 2015 | 14.7% | -17.4% |
| 2016 | 13.6% | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 15.0% | +10.4% |
| 2019 | 10.5% | -30.1% |
| 2020 | 10.7% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 8.8% | -17.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 8.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.4%, 61% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 8.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.2%, 67% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.9% | 9.8% | 24.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 14.3% | 10.5% | 17.8% | 9 |
| 2020s | 9.8% | 8.8% | 10.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More education data for Zambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,585 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 169,961 (2013)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.49 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.55 % change on previous year (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2106 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.49 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Zambia?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Zambia was 8.8% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 24.0% in 2006.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.8% in 2021.
- How does Zambia rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Zambia ranks 101st out of 123 countries with data for 2021.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.0%. 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, 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 — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release