Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Eswatini

Eswatini: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 7.4% in 2014. ▲ Rising

Latest (2014)
7.4%
Change on year
up 23.8%
World rank
9th
of 185 countries
All-time high
7.4%
in 2014
All-time low
3.7%
in 2002
Years of data
27
1976–2014

Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Eswatini, 1976–2014

024681976199520141976: 3.7 %1977: 3.9 %1978: 5.8 %1979: 6.4 %1980: 5.3 %1981: 6.6 %1982: 6.8 %1987: 5.8 %1988: 5.5 %1989: 5.7 %1990: 5.5 %1994: 5.1 %1995: 5.7 %1996: 4.9 %1999: 5.1 %2000: 4.3 %2001: 4.4 %2002: 3.7 %2003: 5.2 %2004: 5 %2005: 5.7 %2006: 5.9 %2008: 5.8 %2009: 5.6 %2010: 5.4 %2011: 5.9 %2014: 7.4 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2014, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Eswatini stood at 7.4%. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

That represents a change of up 23.8% on the previous year and up 47.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Eswatini peaked at 7.4% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 2002.

That places Eswatini 9th out of 185 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Eswatini, year by year

Annual values for Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%) in Eswatini, 1976 to 2014.
Year % Change
1976 3.7%
1977 3.9% +6.2%
1978 5.8% +47.0%
1979 6.4% +9.8%
1980 5.3% -16.8%
1981 6.6% +24.3%
1982 6.8% +2.6%
1987 5.8% -14.1%
1988 5.5% -5.0%
1989 5.7% +2.7%
1990 5.5% -3.1%
1994 5.1% -6.3%
1995 5.7% +10.0%
1996 4.9% -12.6%
1999 5.1% +3.1%
2000 4.3% -15.2%
2001 4.4% +1.8%
2002 3.7% -16.9%
2003 5.2% +43.7%
2004 5.0% -4.9%
2005 5.7% +14.5%
2006 5.9% +3.4%
2008 5.8% -1.2%
2009 5.6% -3.4%
2010 5.4% -3.4%
2011 5.9% +9.1%
2014 7.4% +23.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.0% 3.7% 6.4% 4
1980s 5.9% 5.3% 6.8% 6
1990s 5.3% 4.9% 5.7% 5
2000s 5.1% 3.7% 5.9% 9
2010s 6.2% 5.4% 7.4% 3

Countries ranked near Eswatini

  1. 6 Vanuatu 7.6% compare
  2. 7 Mauritania 7.6% compare
  3. 8 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 7.5% compare
  4. 10 Sweden 7.3% compare
  5. 11 Iceland 7.3% compare
  6. 12 Lesotho 7.3% compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More education data for Eswatini

All data for Eswatini →

Frequently asked questions

What is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Eswatini?
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Eswatini was 7.4% in 2014, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Eswatini?
The highest recorded value was 7.4% in 2014.
What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Eswatini?
The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 2002.
How does Eswatini rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
Eswatini ranks 9th out of 185 countries with data for 2014.
Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Eswatini?
Over the last ten years it is up 47.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Eswatini 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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Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Eswatini. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/initial-government-expenditure-on-education-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-percent/eswatini/

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About this data

Indicator
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
185 places, 4,380 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release