Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in South Africa
South Africa: Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP was 20.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in South Africa, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in South Africa stood at 20.6%.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 23.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in South Africa peaked at 21.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 11.7%, in 2003.
South Africa ranks 30th of 127 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 13.8% | — |
| 2000 | 13.3% | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 13.0% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 12.9% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 11.7% | -9.4% |
| 2004 | 11.8% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 12.8% | +8.0% |
| 2006 | 13.8% | +8.0% |
| 2007 | 13.0% | -6.2% |
| 2008 | 12.3% | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 13.8% | +12.3% |
| 2010 | 15.8% | +14.4% |
| 2011 | 16.2% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 17.6% | +8.8% |
| 2013 | 17.4% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 16.6% | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 16.1% | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 16.4% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 16.5% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 16.6% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 17.2% | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 20.0% | +16.4% |
| 2021 | 21.1% | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 20.1% | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 20.0% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 20.6% | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.8% | 13.8% | 13.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 12.8% | 11.7% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.6% | 15.8% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.4% | 20.0% | 21.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 27 Estonia 21.6% compare
- 28 San Marino 20.8% compare
- 29 Hong Kong, China 20.6% compare
- 31 Costa Rica 20.4% compare
- 32 Finland 20.2% compare
- 33 Denmark 20.2% compare
More education data for South Africa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 181,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 339,638 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,708 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in South Africa?
- Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in South Africa was 20.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 21.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.7% in 2003.
- How does South Africa rank for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp?
- South Africa ranks 30th out of 127 countries with data for 2024.
- Is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release