Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in India
India: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 4.1% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in India, 1997–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in India is 4.1%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 11.5% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in India peaked at 4.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2006.
That places India 102nd out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 3.4% | — |
| 1998 | 3.6% | +6.3% |
| 1999 | 4.4% | +23.6% |
| 2000 | 4.3% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 3.6% | -16.4% |
| 2004 | 3.4% | -7.2% |
| 2005 | 3.2% | -4.9% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 3.3% | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 3.4% | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 3.8% | +12.4% |
| 2012 | 3.9% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 3.8% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | +5.5% |
| 2016 | 4.3% | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 4.3% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 4.4% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 3.9% | -10.7% |
| 2020 | 4.3% | +10.2% |
| 2021 | 4.6% | +7.8% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | -11.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.4% | 3 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 4.3% | 6 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 3.4% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.3% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.31 million (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 3.10 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19.37 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.52 million (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 133.16 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126.12 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -8.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0862 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in India?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in India was 4.1% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2006.
- How does India rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- India ranks 102nd out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India 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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About this data
February 2026 Data Release