Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in South Africa
South Africa: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 2.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in South Africa, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in South Africa is 2.4%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in South Africa peaked at 2.7% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2008.
South Africa ranks 14th of 162 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 2.4% | — |
| 2000 | 2.3% | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | -9.0% |
| 2002 | 2.0% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 1.8% | -9.6% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 1.9% | +6.6% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | -7.9% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 2.0% | +9.8% |
| 2010 | 2.2% | +11.4% |
| 2011 | 2.2% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | +6.4% |
| 2013 | 2.3% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -5.4% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 2.2% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 2.2% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 2.6% | +16.3% |
| 2021 | 2.7% | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 2.5% | -6.0% |
| 2023 | 2.4% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 2.4% | -0.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 2.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4%, 1.8× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 2.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.6%, 1.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in South Africa?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in South Africa was 2.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.7% in 2021.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 2008.
- How does South Africa rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- South Africa ranks 14th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release