Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nepal
Nepal: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 3.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nepal, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nepal is 3.7%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 6.8% on the previous year and up 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nepal peaked at 4.8% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 1998.
That places Nepal 120th 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 27 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2.9% | — |
| 1999 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3.0% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 3.7% | +24.6% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | -15.0% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 3.4% | +6.1% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 3.8% | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 4.7% | +22.6% |
| 2010 | 3.6% | -22.1% |
| 2011 | 3.8% | +5.8% |
| 2012 | 3.3% | -14.2% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | -8.5% |
| 2014 | 3.5% | +15.0% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | -6.1% |
| 2016 | 3.9% | +19.8% |
| 2017 | 4.8% | +22.1% |
| 2018 | 4.4% | -7.0% |
| 2019 | 3.9% | -12.2% |
| 2020 | 4.2% | +9.0% |
| 2021 | 4.4% | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | -6.6% |
| 2023 | 4.0% | -4.4% |
| 2024 | 3.7% | -6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | 3.0% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.0% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.1% | 3.7% | 4.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 117 Djibouti 3.8% compare
- 118 Luxembourg 3.7% compare
- 119 Ecuador 3.7% compare
- 121 Azerbaijan 3.7% compare
- 122 Aruba 3.6% compare
- 123 Côte d'Ivoire 3.6% compare
More education data for Nepal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 124,257 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 263,796 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 752,326 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1204 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nepal?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nepal was 3.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 4.8% in 2017.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 1998.
- How does Nepal rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Nepal ranks 120th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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 — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release