Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Gambia
Gambia: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Gambia, 1985–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Gambia is 1.7%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.3% on the previous year and up 82.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Gambia peaked at 2.2% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2004.
That places Gambia 43rd out of 162 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 2.2% | — |
| 1986 | 1.7% | -21.8% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | -18.7% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | -20.2% |
| 1991 | 1.7% | +53.1% |
| 1992 | 0.5% | -67.6% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | +84.1% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | +9.3% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -39.4% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | +21.8% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | -9.0% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | -48.7% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | +11.7% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | +12.1% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | +7.3% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | +160.6% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | -13.6% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | +45.3% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -40.4% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | +30.7% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +4.1% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 1.7% | +39.6% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 1.8% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | -11.4% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | +7.3% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 1.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.6%, 1.1× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 1.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.6%, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Gambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +160.6% | 0.5% | 1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.2% | 3 |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.5% | 1.7% | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More education data for Gambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,452 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 16,389 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 71,238 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77,061 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 369,783 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 442,901 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1569 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Gambia?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Gambia was 1.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1985.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2004.
- How does Gambia rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Gambia ranks 43rd out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 82.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia 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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CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release