Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 0.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of is 0.7%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 10.2% on the previous year and up 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 2.3% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1983.
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 90th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.4% | — |
| 1972 | 0.4% | -5.8% |
| 1973 | 0.5% | +20.5% |
| 1974 | 0.5% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 0.7% | +32.2% |
| 1977 | 2.3% | +236.4% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | -71.9% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -27.9% |
| 1983 | 0.3% | -34.1% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | +148.4% |
| 1985 | 0.4% | -41.6% |
| 1986 | 0.5% | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 0.5% | +8.8% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | -11.2% |
| 1989 | 0.5% | +13.7% |
| 1990 | 0.5% | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 0.6% | +17.0% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 0.7% | +16.7% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | +42.4% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -9.1% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | -14.8% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | -10.0% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | -7.3% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | +41.8% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | -13.6% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | -6.4% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | +19.8% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | -14.4% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | -19.4% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | +12.0% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | +5.5% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | +22.5% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | +19.2% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -9.5% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | -14.9% |
| 2020 | 0.8% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 0.7% | -20.8% |
| 2023 | 0.7% | +10.2% |
Iran, Islamic Republic of compared with similar countries
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 0.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.7%, 99% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 0.7% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.0%, 76% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | +236.4% | 0.7% | 2.3% |
| 1984 | +148.4% | 0.3% | 0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.4% | 2.3% | 6 |
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 1.0% | 6 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
More education data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 0.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 2.3% in 1977.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1983.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 90th out of 173 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of 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