Macao SAR, China's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) was 3.5% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 1.45 percentage points from 2.05% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 3.5% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 2.73% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 2.05% | 2013 |
| Highest | 6.39% | 2020 |
| Lowest | 2.04% | 2007 |
| Average since 2014 | 3.77% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 3.35% | 1998 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Macao SAR, China's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) fell 2.56 percentage points on 2022 (from 6.06% to 3.5%).
Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was +0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.87 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.32 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.56 percentage points in 2023. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.34 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 46% 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 2023, Macao SAR, China had the 37th 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Macao SAR, China | 3.5% | 2023 |
| World | 3.57% | 2023 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 3.51% | 2023 |
| High income | 4.7% | 2022 |
Closest to Macao SAR, China in the 2023 ranking
- Dominican Republic — 34th of 75: 3.76%
- Azerbaijan — 35th of 75: 3.66%
- Malaysia — 36th of 75: 3.51%
- St. Kitts and Nevis — 38th of 75: 3.5%
- Serbia — 39th of 75: 3.4%
- Congo, Rep. — 40th of 75: 3.34%
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 26 values
| Year | Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 3.5 |
| 2022 | 6.06 |
| 2021 | 5.11 |
| 2020 | 6.39 |
| 2019 | 3.07 |
| 2018 | 2.73 |
| 2017 | 2.71 |
| 2016 | 3.1 |
| 2015 | 3 |
| 2014 | 2.05 |
| 2013 |
Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in nearby economies
- Australia — 5.06% (2022)
- Brunei Darussalam — 4.43% (2016)
- Cambodia — 2.18% (2023)
- 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.
More education data for Macao SAR, China
- 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 — 38,349 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils — 31,617 (2024)
- School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) — 86.41% (2021)
- Secondary education, vocational pupils — 936 (2018)
- Primary education, teachers — 2,896 (2024)
- Secondary education, teachers
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Macao SAR, China's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)?
- 3.5% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1998?
- It is up 0.15 percentage points from 3.35% in 1998. The highest value was 6.39% in 2020 and the lowest 2.04% in 2007.
- How does Macao SAR, China rank?
- 37th highest of 75 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) unusual for Macao SAR, China?
- In 2023, Macao SAR, China's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) fell 2.56 percentage points on 2022 (from 6.06% to 3.5%). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was +0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.87 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
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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