Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 3.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Hong Kong, China, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Hong Kong, China recorded 3.8% for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Hong Kong, China peaked at 4.6% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1982.
That places Hong Kong, China 113th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Hong Kong, China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 2.4% | — |
| 1972 | 2.3% | -3.1% |
| 1973 | 2.2% | -4.9% |
| 1974 | 2.4% | +8.1% |
| 1975 | 2.4% | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 2.4% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 2.2% | -8.8% |
| 1978 | 2.3% | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 2.2% | -5.6% |
| 1981 | 2.3% | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 1.7% | -26.5% |
| 1983 | 2.6% | +54.4% |
| 1984 | 2.6% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 2.6% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 2.5% | -3.6% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | +14.7% |
| 1996 | 2.7% | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 3.9% | +43.1% |
| 2002 | 4.0% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 4.3% | +6.7% |
| 2004 | 4.6% | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | -9.3% |
| 2006 | 3.8% | -7.1% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | -10.1% |
| 2008 | 3.3% | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 4.4% | +34.7% |
| 2010 | 3.5% | -20.1% |
| 2011 | 3.4% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 3.5% | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 3.8% | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 3.6% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | -8.7% |
| 2016 | 3.3% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 3.3% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 3.8% | +14.5% |
| 2020 | 4.4% | +15.6% |
| 2021 | 4.0% | -9.2% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | -6.8% |
| 2023 | 3.8% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 3.8% | +0.1% |
Hong Kong, China compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong, China's 3.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 86% of the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong, China's 3.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.2%, 90% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP 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 | +54.4% | 1.7% | 2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.4% | 8 |
| 1980s | 2.3% | 1.7% | 2.6% | 6 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 3 |
| 2000s | 4.0% | 3.3% | 4.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 3.3% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.9% | 3.7% | 4.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong, China
- 110 Philippines 4.0% compare
- 111 China 3.9% compare
- 112 Saint Lucia 3.8% compare
- 114 Hungary 3.8% compare
- 115 Egypt 3.8% compare
- 116 Dominican Republic 3.8% 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 government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Hong Kong, China?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Hong Kong, China was 3.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 2004.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1982.
- How does Hong Kong, China rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Hong Kong, China ranks 113th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Hong Kong, China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. 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 Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release