Cambodia's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) was 2.18% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 0.6 percentage points from 1.58% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 2.18% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 1.6% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 1.58% | 2013 |
| Highest | 2.25% | 2020 |
| Lowest | 1.21% | 2011 |
| Average since 2014 | 1.93% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 1.26% | 1998 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Cambodia's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) rose 0.22 percentage points on 2022 (from 1.96% to 2.18%).
Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.23 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.53 percentage points in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.29 percentage points in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2023, Cambodia had the 62nd highest value of the 75 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Cambodia | 2.18% | 2023 |
| World | 3.57% | 2023 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 3.51% | 2023 |
| Lower middle income | 3.39% | 2023 |
Closest to Cambodia in the 2023 ranking
What this measures
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.
Limitations: Data may refer to spending by the ministry of education only (excluding spending on educational activities by other ministries).
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.
All 18 values
| Year | Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 2.18 |
| 2022 | 1.96 |
| 2021 | 1.96 |
| 2020 | 2.25 |
| 2019 | 2.13 |
| 2018 | 1.6 |
| 2017 | no data |
| 2016 | no data |
| 2015 | no data |
| 2014 | 1.45 |
| 2013 |
Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in nearby economies
- Australia — 5.06% (2022)
- Brunei Darussalam — 4.43% (2016)
- China — 3.9% (2023)
- Fiji — 4.25% (2023)
- Hong Kong SAR, China — 3.81% (2024)
- Indonesia — 1.28% (2023)
- Japan — 3.34% (2021)
- Kiribati — 16.39% (2023)
- Korea, Rep. — 5.41% (2022)
- Lao PDR
More education data for Cambodia
- Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils — 2.27 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 108.97% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers — 46,016 (2024)
- School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 21.44% (2024)
- Secondary education, general pupils — 955,656 (2018)
- School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 33.57% (2021)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Cambodia's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)?
- 2.18% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1998?
- It is up 0.92 percentage points from 1.26% in 1998. The highest value was 2.25% in 2020 and the lowest 1.21% in 2011.
- How does Cambodia rank?
- 62nd highest of 75 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) unusual for Cambodia?
- In 2023, Cambodia's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) rose 0.22 percentage points on 2022 (from 1.96% to 2.18%). Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.23 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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