Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 1.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1971–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of stood at 1.7%. That is the lowest value across all 44 years on record.
The figure is down 20.5% on the previous year and down 33.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 7.1% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2022.
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 173rd of 185 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 2.8% | — |
| 1972 | 2.8% | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 2.9% | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 2.7% | -6.5% |
| 1975 | 3.0% | +10.2% |
| 1977 | 5.4% | +82.6% |
| 1981 | 7.1% | +31.7% |
| 1982 | 5.8% | -18.6% |
| 1983 | 4.2% | -27.9% |
| 1984 | 3.8% | -9.1% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | -9.0% |
| 1986 | 3.6% | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 4.1% | +16.0% |
| 1988 | 3.7% | -11.1% |
| 1989 | 4.0% | +8.6% |
| 1990 | 3.8% | -5.6% |
| 1991 | 3.7% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 3.6% | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 4.3% | +18.5% |
| 1995 | 4.1% | -5.4% |
| 1996 | 3.5% | -13.3% |
| 1999 | 4.2% | +19.3% |
| 2000 | 3.0% | -27.8% |
| 2001 | 3.5% | +13.6% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | -6.8% |
| 2003 | 3.5% | +8.9% |
| 2004 | 3.3% | -6.9% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 3.5% | +8.3% |
| 2007 | 3.4% | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 3.3% | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 3.6% | +11.3% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | -16.8% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | -15.5% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | -17.5% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 2.7% | +17.2% |
| 2016 | 2.7% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | +11.7% |
| 2018 | 2.8% | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 2.6% | -8.6% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | -16.0% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | -20.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.2% | 2.7% | 5.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 4.4% | 3.5% | 7.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.9% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 7 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 3.0% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.6% | 2.1% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
More education data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 1.7% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 7.1% in 1981.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2022.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 173rd out of 185 countries with data for 2022.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of 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