Government expenditure on education, total in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Government expenditure on education, total was 12.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on education, total in Least developed countries, 1999–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2024, government expenditure on education, total in Least developed countries stood at 12.5%. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 9.3% on the previous year and down 15.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Least developed countries peaked at 17.3% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 12.5%, in 2024.
That places Least developed countries 33rd out of 46 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 15.1% | — |
| 2000 | 14.2% | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 14.5% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 14.9% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 15.9% | +6.6% |
| 2005 | 15.9% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 17.3% | +8.8% |
| 2008 | 16.2% | -6.4% |
| 2009 | 16.1% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 16.1% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 15.1% | -6.1% |
| 2012 | 15.1% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 15.3% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 14.8% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 14.6% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 14.7% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 15.1% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 14.5% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 13.0% | -10.2% |
| 2020 | 14.0% | +7.2% |
| 2021 | 14.4% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 12.9% | -10.0% |
| 2023 | 13.8% | +6.5% |
| 2024 | 12.5% | -9.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.1% | 15.1% | 15.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 15.6% | 14.2% | 17.3% | 8 |
| 2010s | 14.8% | 13.0% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.5% | 12.5% | 14.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More education data for Least developed countries
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 4.43 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 75.92 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 171.01 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1441 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 57.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 38.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, total in Least developed countries?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Least developed countries was 12.5% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 17.3% in 2006.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5% in 2024.
- How does Least developed countries rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Least developed countries ranks 33rd out of 46 groups with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.