Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in SDG: Southern Asia
SDG: Southern Asia: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 12.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in SDG: Southern Asia, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
In 2024, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in SDG: Southern Asia stood at 12.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.3% on the previous year and down 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in SDG: Southern Asia peaked at 17.3% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 11.4%, in 2012.
That places SDG: Southern Asia 35th out of 43 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in SDG: Southern Asia, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.7% | — |
| 2001 | 16.7% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 15.0% | -10.6% |
| 2004 | 17.3% | +15.6% |
| 2005 | 14.9% | -14.0% |
| 2006 | 16.3% | +9.7% |
| 2007 | 16.8% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 14.6% | -13.1% |
| 2009 | 12.8% | -12.0% |
| 2010 | 11.9% | -7.6% |
| 2011 | 13.6% | +14.3% |
| 2012 | 11.4% | -16.1% |
| 2013 | 14.1% | +23.4% |
| 2014 | 14.5% | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 13.2% | -8.8% |
| 2016 | 16.2% | +22.9% |
| 2017 | 15.7% | -3.4% |
| 2018 | 14.2% | -9.0% |
| 2019 | 12.1% | -15.0% |
| 2020 | 15.0% | +24.1% |
| 2021 | 14.4% | -4.3% |
| 2022 | 12.4% | -13.6% |
| 2023 | 13.1% | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 12.0% | -8.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.7% | 12.8% | 17.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 13.7% | 11.4% | 16.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.4% | 12.0% | 15.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near SDG: Southern Asia
More education data for SDG: Southern Asia
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 7.57 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.70 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.81 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 88.16 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.205 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 94.56 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 54.48 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 28.18 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in SDG: Southern Asia?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in SDG: Southern Asia was 12.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in SDG: Southern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.3% in 2004.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in SDG: Southern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.4% in 2012.
- How does SDG: Southern Asia rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- SDG: Southern Asia ranks 35th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in SDG: Southern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this SDG: Southern Asia 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 — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release