Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Zambia
Zambia: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 0.3% in 2017. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Zambia, 1970–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2017, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Zambia stood at 0.3%. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
The figure is down 28.1% on the previous year and down 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Zambia peaked at 1.1% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2017.
That places Zambia 141st out of 173 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.6% | — |
| 1971 | 1.1% | +79.3% |
| 1972 | 0.9% | -21.3% |
| 1973 | 0.8% | -3.5% |
| 1974 | 0.7% | -18.1% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | +44.4% |
| 1976 | 1.0% | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 1.0% | -3.6% |
| 1978 | 0.9% | -14.8% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | +5.7% |
| 1980 | 0.8% | -14.4% |
| 1981 | 0.7% | -2.9% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | +24.3% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | -24.4% |
| 1984 | 0.6% | -19.6% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | +27.0% |
| 1986 | 0.6% | -11.0% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | -37.3% |
| 1991 | 0.6% | +42.6% |
| 1992 | 0.5% | -9.6% |
| 1993 | 0.6% | +8.2% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | -33.3% |
| 1995 | 0.4% | +8.7% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -14.4% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | +28.1% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | +22.5% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | -15.5% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -28.1% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.6%, 53% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.7%, 50% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 138 Dominican Republic 0.3% compare
- 139 Mauritius 0.3% compare
- 140 Turkmenistan 0.3% compare
- 142 El Salvador 0.3% compare
- 143 Uganda 0.3% compare
- 144 Jordan 0.3% compare
More education data for Zambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,585 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 169,961 (2013)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.39 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.49 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.55 % change on previous year (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2106 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4.49 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Zambia?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Zambia was 0.3% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.1% in 1971.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2017.
- How does Zambia rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Zambia ranks 141st out of 173 countries with data for 2017.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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