Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 2.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iran, Islamic Republic of recorded 2.8% for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.8% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 7.1% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 2014.
That places Iran, Islamic Republic of 159th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 2.8% | — |
| 1972 | 2.8% | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 2.9% | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 2.7% | -6.5% |
| 1975 | 3.0% | +10.2% |
| 1977 | 5.4% | +82.6% |
| 1981 | 7.1% | +31.7% |
| 1982 | 5.8% | -18.6% |
| 1983 | 4.2% | -27.9% |
| 1984 | 3.8% | -9.1% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | -9.0% |
| 1986 | 3.6% | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 4.1% | +16.0% |
| 1988 | 3.7% | -11.1% |
| 1989 | 4.0% | +8.6% |
| 1990 | 3.8% | -5.6% |
| 1991 | 3.7% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 3.6% | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 4.3% | +18.5% |
| 1995 | 4.1% | -5.4% |
| 1996 | 3.5% | -13.3% |
| 1999 | 4.2% | +19.3% |
| 2000 | 4.0% | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 4.1% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 4.5% | +10.1% |
| 2003 | 4.4% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 4.3% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 4.3% | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 4.6% | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 3.9% | -14.9% |
| 2009 | 3.8% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 3.7% | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 3.5% | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | -15.7% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 2.6% | -8.3% |
| 2015 | 2.6% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | +20.7% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 3.6% | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 3.2% | -10.5% |
| 2020 | 3.2% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | -16.7% |
| 2023 | 2.8% | +5.8% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | +82.6% | 3.0% | 5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.2% | 2.7% | 5.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 4.4% | 3.5% | 7.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.9% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 7 |
| 2000s | 4.2% | 3.8% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.6% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
More education data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 2.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 7.1% in 1981.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2014.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 159th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of 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