Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.3% in 2015. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Ethiopia, 1971–2015
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2015, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Ethiopia stood at 1.3%.
The figure is down 7.3% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Ethiopia peaked at 1.5% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1972.
Ethiopia ranks 82nd of 162 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.6% | — |
| 1972 | 0.6% | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 0.7% | +26.8% |
| 1978 | 0.7% | -7.8% |
| 1979 | 0.7% | +7.7% |
| 1980 | 0.7% | -5.2% |
| 1981 | 0.7% | +6.1% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | +14.3% |
| 1983 | 0.9% | +8.5% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | -5.7% |
| 1985 | 1.0% | +14.1% |
| 1986 | 0.9% | -5.6% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | +12.1% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | +31.1% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | -9.9% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | +20.2% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | -15.0% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | +13.9% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | -6.4% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | -20.6% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +29.7% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | -7.3% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 1.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.6%, 82% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 1.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.6%, 84% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 5 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 7 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 3 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More education data for Ethiopia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 272,545 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 900,151 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.32 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.16 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.03 million (2015)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.93 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.45 % 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 0.1206 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Ethiopia?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Ethiopia was 1.3% in 2015, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.5% in 2009.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1972.
- How does Ethiopia rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Ethiopia ranks 82nd out of 162 countries with data for 2015.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release