Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 1.0% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Latest (2019)
1.0%
Change on year
down 21.1%
World rank
184th
of 185 countries
All-time high
2.1%
in 1999
All-time low
0.9%
in 1980
Years of data
31
1979–2019
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Bangladesh, 1979–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Bangladesh stood at 1.0%.
That represents a change of down 21.1% on the previous year and down 41.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Bangladesh peaked at 2.1% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1980.
Bangladesh ranks 184th of 185 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 1.1% | — |
| 1980 | 0.9% | -17.1% |
| 1981 | 1.1% | +14.3% |
| 1982 | 1.0% | -5.6% |
| 1983 | 1.0% | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 1.2% | +18.4% |
| 1985 | 1.3% | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 1.3% | +5.7% |
| 1987 | 1.5% | +12.7% |
| 1990 | 1.5% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 1.4% | -6.2% |
| 1992 | 1.6% | +14.5% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | +15.4% |
| 1999 | 2.1% | +9.2% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | -8.5% |
| 2001 | 2.0% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | -15.2% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | -15.4% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | +25.8% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | -6.9% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | -24.1% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | +12.9% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | -20.3% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -21.1% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 1.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.7%, 27% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 1.0% is below the median for South Asia, which is 3.5%, 29% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 8 |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 6 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.0% | 1.9% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
- 181 Haiti 1.1% compare
- 182 Central African Republic 1.1% compare
- 183 Gambia 1.1% compare
- 185 Guinea-Bissau 1.0% 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 initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Bangladesh?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Bangladesh was 1.0% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 1999.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1980.
- How does Bangladesh rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Bangladesh ranks 184th out of 185 countries with data for 2019.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.0%. 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 Initial government expenditure on 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