Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Eswatini
Eswatini: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 6.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Eswatini, 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Eswatini stood at 6.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 20.5% on the previous year and down 17.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Eswatini peaked at 7.3% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 1976.
That places Eswatini 27th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 3.7% | — |
| 1977 | 3.9% | +6.2% |
| 1978 | 5.8% | +47.0% |
| 1979 | 6.4% | +9.8% |
| 1980 | 5.3% | -16.8% |
| 1981 | 6.6% | +24.3% |
| 1982 | 6.8% | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 5.8% | -14.1% |
| 1988 | 5.5% | -5.0% |
| 1989 | 5.7% | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 5.5% | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 5.1% | -6.3% |
| 1995 | 5.7% | +10.0% |
| 1996 | 4.9% | -12.6% |
| 1999 | 5.1% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 5.5% | +8.2% |
| 2001 | 4.8% | -12.2% |
| 2002 | 4.4% | -8.2% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | +31.0% |
| 2004 | 5.4% | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | +20.0% |
| 2006 | 6.6% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 6.6% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 6.5% | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 6.1% | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 6.9% | +12.2% |
| 2012 | 5.6% | -18.5% |
| 2013 | 5.1% | -9.1% |
| 2014 | 7.3% | +43.2% |
| 2015 | 5.4% | -26.5% |
| 2016 | 5.4% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 6.2% | +13.7% |
| 2018 | 5.7% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 5.7% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 5.3% | -6.6% |
| 2021 | 5.3% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 5.6% | +5.4% |
| 2023 | 5.0% | -10.2% |
| 2024 | 6.0% | +20.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.0% | 3.7% | 6.4% | 4 |
| 1980s | 5.9% | 5.3% | 6.8% | 6 |
| 1990s | 5.3% | 4.9% | 5.7% | 5 |
| 2000s | 5.8% | 4.4% | 6.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 5.9% | 5.1% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.0% | 6.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More education data for Eswatini
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7,225 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,165 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 12,768 (2015)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 11,269 (2015)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 108,288 (2016)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 222,351 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.236 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1807 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Eswatini?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Eswatini was 6.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 2014.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 1976.
- How does Eswatini rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Eswatini ranks 27th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release