Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 4.7% in 2015. ▲ Rising
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Ethiopia, 1971–2015
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 4.7% for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in 2015.
The figure is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 37.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Ethiopia peaked at 5.1% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 1971.
Ethiopia ranks 62nd of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.2% | — |
| 1972 | 1.3% | +9.7% |
| 1977 | 2.2% | +64.3% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | -10.4% |
| 1979 | 2.0% | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | -9.4% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 2.1% | +10.9% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | +9.0% |
| 1984 | 2.1% | -8.3% |
| 1985 | 2.3% | +10.7% |
| 1986 | 2.1% | -8.5% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +10.1% |
| 1996 | 2.7% | +17.9% |
| 1997 | 2.7% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 3.4% | +27.5% |
| 2001 | 3.6% | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | -10.6% |
| 2006 | 3.4% | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 4.1% | +19.7% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | -32.2% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | +14.7% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | +18.7% |
| 2011 | 5.1% | +35.3% |
| 2012 | 4.4% | -15.1% |
| 2013 | 4.3% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 4.6% | +7.7% |
| 2015 | 4.7% | +3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.2% | 2.2% | 5 |
| 1980s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 7 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.7% | 3 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 2.8% | 4.1% | 7 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 3.8% | 5.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More education data for Ethiopia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 272,545 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 900,151 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.32 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.16 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.03 million (2015)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.93 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1206 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Ethiopia?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Ethiopia was 4.7% in 2015, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.1% in 2011.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 1971.
- How does Ethiopia rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Ethiopia ranks 62nd out of 185 countries with data for 2015.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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