Government expenditure on education in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Government expenditure on education was 4.48 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.48
World rank
34th
of 68 countries
All-time high
8.28
in 1998
All-time low
3.89
in 1981
Years of data
23
1981–2023
Government expenditure on education in Saudi Arabia, 1981–2023
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on education in Saudi Arabia stood at 4.48.
That represents a change of down 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education in Saudi Arabia peaked at 8.28 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 3.89, in 1981.
That places Saudi Arabia 34th out of 68 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 3.89 | — |
| 1982 | 4.14 | +6.5% |
| 1983 | 5.98 | +44.3% |
| 1984 | 6.11 | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 6.26 | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 5.78 | -7.6% |
| 1992 | 5.14 | -11.0% |
| 1993 | 6 | +16.6% |
| 1994 | 6.34 | +5.7% |
| 1995 | 5.69 | -10.3% |
| 1996 | 4.94 | -13.2% |
| 1997 | 4.38 | -11.5% |
| 1998 | 8.28 | +89.2% |
| 1999 | 7.07 | -14.6% |
| 2000 | 5.91 | -16.4% |
| 2001 | 7.72 | +30.6% |
| 2002 | 7.64 | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 7.11 | -7.0% |
| 2004 | 6.28 | -11.6% |
| 2005 | 5.43 | -13.5% |
| 2006 | 5.89 | +8.5% |
| 2008 | 5.14 | -12.8% |
| 2023 | 4.48 | -12.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.28 | 3.89 | 6.26 | 5 |
| 1990s | 5.96 | 4.38 | 8.28 | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.39 | 5.14 | 7.72 | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.48 | 4.48 | 4.48 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education in Saudi Arabia?
- Government expenditure on education in Saudi Arabia was 4.48 in 2023, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.28 in 1998.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.89 in 1981.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for government expenditure on education?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 34th out of 68 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Government expenditure on education (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).