Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Saudi Arabia, 1981–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Saudi Arabia stood at 1.5%.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Saudi Arabia peaked at 2.1% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1996.
Saudi Arabia ranks 18th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1.4% | — |
| 1982 | 1.5% | +5.3% |
| 1983 | 2.0% | +31.9% |
| 1984 | 2.1% | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | -39.8% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | +10.0% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | -18.4% |
| 1996 | 1.0% | -14.8% |
| 1998 | 1.4% | +46.0% |
| 2023 | 1.5% | +9.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 4 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 5 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 15 Netherlands 1.6% compare
- 16 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 1.6% compare
- 17 Belgium 1.5% compare
- 19 Norway 1.5% compare
- 20 Burkina Faso 1.5% compare
- 21 Tunisia 1.5% compare
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Saudi Arabia?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Saudi Arabia was 1.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 1984.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1996.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 18th out of 173 countries with data for 2023.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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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CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release