Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 0.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Bangladesh, 1979–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Bangladesh stood at 0.4%.
That represents a change of down 8.9% on the previous year and up 36.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Bangladesh peaked at 0.4% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1997.
Bangladesh ranks 137th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.3% | — |
| 1980 | 0.2% | -17.9% |
| 1981 | 0.2% | -17.3% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | -24.2% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | -7.4% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | +17.8% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | -4.3% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | -3.8% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | +8.6% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -10.8% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 0.2% | +28.3% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -13.3% |
| 1997 | 0.1% | -35.7% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | +152.7% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | -8.0% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -16.1% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | +18.8% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | +23.0% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | -8.3% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | +7.9% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | -15.7% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | +46.0% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | +33.1% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -8.8% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | -8.9% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 0.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.6%, 57% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 0.4% is below the median for South Asia, which is 0.4%, 91% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Bangladesh 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +152.7% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 6 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 5 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
- 134 Kazakhstan 0.4% compare
- 135 Kyrgyzstan 0.4% compare
- 136 Guatemala 0.4% compare
- 138 Dominican Republic 0.3% compare
- 139 Mauritius 0.3% compare
- 140 Turkmenistan 0.3% compare
More education data for Bangladesh
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 571,690 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 387,056 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.77 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16.69 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0961 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Bangladesh?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Bangladesh was 0.4% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4% in 2016.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1997.
- How does Bangladesh rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Bangladesh ranks 137th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary 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