Government expenditure on education in Africa

38 countries in Africa, 2023. Unit: % of GDP. World ranking →

First in the ranking
7.3 %
Lesotho
Median country
3.7 %
half above, half below
World
3.6 %
World Bank aggregate
Range
0.0 to 7.3
Somalia - Lesotho

How to read it

Across 38 countries in Africa, the highest value is in Lesotho (7.3 %) and the lowest in Somalia (0.0 %).

The median country is at 3.7 %: half are above, half below.

General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

Compare selected countries · on the world map

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through… · via World Bank WDI (SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS) · licence

Education spending over time

%

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Ranking of countries

2023
In chart Share of the highest value
1Lesotho7.3
2Tunisia6.7
3Senegal6.2
4South Africa6.1
5Morocco6.0
6Algeria5.6
7Burkina Faso5.3
8São Tomé and Principe5.0
9Eswatini5.0
10Rwanda4.9
11Mauritania4.7
12Mauritius4.6
13Seychelles4.5
14Cabo Verde4.3
15Mali4.2
16Togo4.1
17Niger4.1
18Zambia4.1
19Kenya4.0
20Côte d'Ivoire3.4
21Republic of the Congo3.3
22Tanzania3.3
23Benin3.2
24Chad3.2
25Madagascar3.0
26Ethiopia2.9
27Cameroon2.8
28The Gambia2.8
29Sierra Leone2.6
30Angola2.5
31Comoros2.3
32Gabon2.3
33Liberia2.3
34Central African Republic1.8
35Guinea1.7
36Zimbabwe0.4
37Nigeria0.3
38Somalia0.0
World Bank, WDI · SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS · 2023 · CC BY 4.0 Source and licence

Tick a country in the table to add it to the chart above, up to six at a time. The ranking uses the latest year for which at least half of the countries have a value; countries without a value that year are not listed.