Government expenditure on education, total in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Government expenditure on education, total was 3.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1999–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 3.3% for government expenditure on education, total in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 3.6% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 2000.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 32nd out of 46 groups 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, total in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 3.0% | — |
| 2000 | 2.6% | -10.7% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 2.9% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | +12.2% |
| 2010 | 3.1% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 3.1% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 3.3% | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 3.6% | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 3.3% | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 3.6% | +7.4% |
| 2016 | 3.3% | -8.1% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | +7.7% |
| 2018 | 3.4% | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 3.2% | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 3.4% | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 3.3% | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | -6.5% |
| 2023 | 3.3% | +5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 2.6% | 3.1% | 8 |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More education data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.14 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 81.43 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 196.80 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 40.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9738 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1526 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, total in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Sub-Saharan Africa was 3.3% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 2015.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2000.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 32nd out of 46 groups with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.