Government expenditure on education, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Government expenditure on education, total was 4.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on education, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1975–2022
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on education, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 4.4%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of up 10.0% on the previous year and up 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 5.5% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2012.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 10th out of 46 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 3.8% | — |
| 1976 | 4.8% | +24.4% |
| 1977 | 4.3% | -9.5% |
| 1980 | 4.6% | +5.5% |
| 1981 | 5.2% | +12.9% |
| 1982 | 5.4% | +5.4% |
| 1983 | 5.2% | -4.1% |
| 1984 | 5.5% | +5.7% |
| 1986 | 5.3% | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 4.0% | -24.3% |
| 1996 | 4.2% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 5.0% | +20.0% |
| 2006 | 4.1% | -17.4% |
| 2008 | 4.2% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 3.7% | -12.3% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 3.8% | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 3.7% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 4.2% | +14.0% |
| 2017 | 4.0% | -4.6% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 3.9% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 4.4% | +10.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.3% | 3.8% | 4.8% | 3 |
| 1980s | 5.0% | 4.0% | 5.5% | 7 |
| 1990s | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 4.5% | 4.1% | 5.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.6% | 4.2% | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.2% | 4.0% | 4.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- 7 Solomon Islands 8.3% compare
- 8 Botswana 8.1% compare
- 9 Marshall Islands 7.7% compare
- 10 Vanuatu 7.6%
- 11 Mauritania 7.6%
- 12 Bolivia 7.5%
- 13 Sweden 7.3% compare
More education data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Population ages 0-14 31.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 68.09 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 63.1% (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91.90 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.29 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.113 units per person (2024)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 4.4% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 5.5% in 1984.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2012.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 10th out of 46 groups with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.