Government expenditure on education, total in Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China: Government expenditure on education, total was 15.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in Hong Kong, China, 1981–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
Hong Kong, China recorded 15.7% for government expenditure on education, total in 2024.
That represents a change of up 19.4% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Hong Kong, China peaked at 24.0% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1981.
Hong Kong, China ranks 52nd of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Hong Kong, China, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.0% | — |
| 1982 | 9.4% | — |
| 1983 | 15.3% | +62.5% |
| 1984 | 15.9% | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 18.6% | +17.1% |
| 1990 | 18.5% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 21.2% | +14.4% |
| 1996 | 16.7% | -21.4% |
| 2001 | 22.4% | +34.5% |
| 2002 | 22.2% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 23.2% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 23.2% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 22.5% | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 23.3% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 22.9% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 22.9% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 24.0% | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 19.9% | -17.1% |
| 2011 | 20.1% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 18.6% | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 20.3% | +8.9% |
| 2014 | 17.6% | -13.2% |
| 2015 | 18.6% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 18.1% | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 17.8% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 18.8% | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 20.3% | +8.1% |
| 2020 | 20.6% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 13.1% | -36.4% |
| 2022 | 14.4% | +9.7% |
| 2023 | 13.2% | -8.4% |
| 2024 | 15.7% | +19.4% |
Hong Kong, China compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong, China's 15.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.8%, 1.3× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong, China's 15.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.3%, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on education, total in Hong Kong, China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +62.5% | 9.4% | 15.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.8% | 0.0% | 18.6% | 5 |
| 1990s | 18.8% | 16.7% | 21.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 23.0% | 22.2% | 24.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 19.0% | 17.6% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.4% | 13.1% | 20.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong, China
- 49 Republic of Moldova 16.0% compare
- 50 Puerto Rico 16.0% compare
- 51 El Salvador 15.9% compare
- 53 Afghanistan 15.7% compare
- 54 Iceland 15.7% compare
- 55 Saudi Arabia 15.6% compare
More education data for Hong Kong, China
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 31,678 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,605 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 72,557 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 65,737 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 340,877 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 329,780 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0438 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, total in Hong Kong, China?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Hong Kong, China was 15.7% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The highest recorded value was 24.0% in 2009.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1981.
- How does Hong Kong, China rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Hong Kong, China ranks 52nd out of 193 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in Hong Kong, China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hong Kong, China 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 government expenditure). 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 total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.