Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 3.5% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
3.5%
Change on year
up 20.6%
World rank
195th
of 197 countries
All-time high
10.7%
in 2017
All-time low
2.9%
in 2022
Years of data
9
2015–2023
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Papua New Guinea, 2015–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 3.5% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2023.
That represents a change of up 20.6% on the previous year and down 51.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Papua New Guinea peaked at 10.7% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 2022.
Papua New Guinea ranks 195th of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 7.2% | — |
| 2016 | 4.1% | -43.5% |
| 2017 | 10.7% | +161.5% |
| 2018 | 9.2% | -13.8% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -61.2% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | -14.9% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | -9.7% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | +20.6% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 3.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.3%, 25% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 3.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.3%, 29% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.0% | 3.6% | 10.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 3.4% | 2.9% | 3.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
- 192 Niue 5.6%
- 193 Eritrea 5.4%
- 194 Timor-Leste 4.3% compare
- 196 Nigeria 3.0% compare
- 197 South Sudan 0.0% compare
More education data for Papua New Guinea
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 14,791 (2016)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 80,915 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 226,545 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 208,353 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 655,030 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.65 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 10.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1593 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Papua New Guinea?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Papua New Guinea was 3.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 10.7% in 2017.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 2022.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 195th out of 197 countries with data for 2023.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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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About this data
February 2026 Data Release