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 15.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Hong Kong, China, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
Hong Kong, China recorded 15.7% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 19.4% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Hong Kong, China peaked at 24.0% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1981.
Hong Kong, China ranks 52nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Hong Kong, China, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.0% | — |
| 1982 | 9.4% | — |
| 1983 | 15.3% | +62.5% |
| 1984 | 15.9% | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 18.6% | +17.1% |
| 1990 | 18.5% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 21.2% | +14.4% |
| 1996 | 16.7% | -21.4% |
| 2001 | 22.4% | +34.5% |
| 2002 | 22.2% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 23.2% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 23.2% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 22.5% | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 23.3% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 22.9% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 22.9% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 24.0% | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 19.9% | -17.1% |
| 2011 | 20.1% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 18.6% | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 20.3% | +8.9% |
| 2014 | 17.6% | -13.2% |
| 2015 | 18.6% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 18.1% | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 17.8% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 18.8% | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 20.3% | +8.1% |
| 2020 | 20.6% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 13.1% | -36.4% |
| 2022 | 14.4% | +9.7% |
| 2023 | 13.2% | -8.4% |
| 2024 | 15.7% | +19.4% |
Hong Kong, China compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong, China's 15.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.8%, 1.3× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong, China's 15.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.3%, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Hong Kong, China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +62.5% | 9.4% | 15.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.8% | 0.0% | 18.6% | 5 |
| 1990s | 18.8% | 16.7% | 21.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 23.0% | 22.2% | 24.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 19.0% | 17.6% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.4% | 13.1% | 20.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong, China
- 49 Republic of Moldova 16.0% compare
- 50 Puerto Rico 16.0% compare
- 51 El Salvador 15.9% compare
- 53 Afghanistan 15.7% compare
- 54 Iceland 15.7% compare
- 55 Saudi Arabia 15.6% compare
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 15.7% in 2024, 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 24.0% in 2009.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1981.
- How does Hong Kong, China rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Hong Kong, China ranks 52nd out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- 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 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release