Expenditure on tertiary education in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Expenditure on tertiary education was 21.0% in 2014. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on tertiary education in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2008–2014
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure on education.
Analysis
In 2014, expenditure on tertiary education in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 21.0%. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.9% on the previous year and up 11.4% over ten years.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 16th out of 37 groups with data for 2014, putting it in the middle of the range.
Expenditure on tertiary education in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure on education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 18.9% | — |
| 2010 | 19.7% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 16.0% | -18.7% |
| 2012 | 18.3% | +14.5% |
| 2013 | 20.2% | +10.2% |
| 2014 | 21.0% | +3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.9% | 18.9% | 18.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 19.1% | 16.0% | 21.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 13 British Virgin Islands 35.1% compare
- 14 Bangladesh 33.3% compare
- 15 Senegal 32.8% compare
- 16 Kuwait 32.6%
- 17 Austria 32.5% compare
- 18 Netherlands 31.9% compare
- 19 Türkiye 31.9%
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.43 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.80 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9738 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on tertiary education in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Expenditure on tertiary education in Sub-Saharan Africa was 21.0% in 2014, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest expenditure on tertiary education recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 21.0% in 2014.
- What is the lowest expenditure on tertiary education recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.0% in 2011.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for expenditure on tertiary education?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 16th out of 37 groups with data for 2014.
- Is expenditure on tertiary education rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Expenditure on tertiary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.