Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nepal
Nepal: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 3.3% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nepal, 1998–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2018, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nepal stood at 3.3%.
That represents a change of down 5.5% on the previous year and down 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nepal peaked at 3.8% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2000.
Nepal ranks 121st of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2.9% | — |
| 1999 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2.7% | -7.3% |
| 2001 | 3.2% | +18.9% |
| 2002 | 3.0% | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -4.1% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 3.2% | +6.0% |
| 2007 | 3.2% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | +7.4% |
| 2009 | 3.8% | +13.4% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | -21.8% |
| 2011 | 2.9% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 2.7% | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | +11.4% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | +13.5% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | -5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 2.7% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.1% | 2.7% | 3.5% | 9 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More education data for Nepal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 124,257 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 263,796 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 752,326 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1204 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nepal?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nepal was 3.3% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 2009.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2000.
- How does Nepal rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Nepal ranks 121st out of 185 countries with data for 2018.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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