Iran, Islamic Rep.: Expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Iran, Islamic Rep.'s expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) rose 2.95 percentage points on 2017 (from 30.12% to 33.07%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2017), the average change was −0.38 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.57 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.95 percentage points in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.33 percentage points in 1975. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.73 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 74% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2018, Iran, Islamic Rep. had the 12th highest value of the 23 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.

Closest to Iran, Islamic Rep. in the 2018 ranking

• Jamaica — 9th of 23: 34.16%
• Malaysia — 10th of 23: 34.04%
• Peru — 11th of 23: 33.88%
• Colombia — 13th of 23: 32.71%
• Senegal — 14th of 23: 31.67%
• Sierra Leone — 15th of 23: 31.02%

What this measures

Expenditure on primary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

Limitations: Data disaggregated by level of education are estimates in some instances. It is often difficult to separate lower from upper secondary education expenditure, or pre-primary from primary.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 39 values

Expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 44.19% (2017)
• Israel — 38.91% (2016)
• Malta — 24.27% (2015)
• Pakistan — 31.05% (2015)

More education data for Iran, Islamic Rep.

• 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 — 9.09 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 101.96% (2023)
• School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 72.48% (2020)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 102.05% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 101.88% (2023)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Iran, Islamic Rep.'s expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education)?

33.07% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 15.44 percentage points from 48.52% in 1971. The highest value was 48.52% in 1971 and the lowest 18.49% in 1977.

How does Iran, Islamic Rep. rank?

12th highest of 23 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) unusual for Iran, Islamic Rep.?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.PRIM.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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