Madagascar's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) was 3.05% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 1.27 percentage points from 1.78% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 3.05% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 2.84% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 1.78% | 2013 |
| Highest | 5.05% | 1977 |
| Lowest | 1.54% | 1997 |
| Average since 2014 | 2.84% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 3.22% | 1972 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Madagascar's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) fell 0.02 percentage points on 2022 (from 3.07% to 3.05%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2022), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.37 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below 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 1.8 percentage points in 1977 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.61 percentage points in 1980. 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 0.1 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 76% 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, Madagascar had the 48th 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Madagascar | 3.05% | 2023 |
| World | 3.57% | 2023 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 3.26% | 2023 |
| Low income | 2.98% | 2022 |
Closest to Madagascar in the 2023 ranking
- British Virgin Islands — 45th of 75: 3.17%
- Antigua and Barbuda — 46th of 75: 3.11%
- Albania — 47th of 75: 3.09%
- Nicaragua — 49th of 75: 2.87%
- Cameroon — 50th of 75: 2.84%
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — 51st of 75: 2.82%
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 41 values
| Year | Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 3.05 |
| 2022 | 3.07 |
| 2021 | 3.2 |
| 2020 | 3.25 |
| 2019 | 3.01 |
| 2018 | 2.84 |
| 2017 | 2.7 |
| 2016 | 2.69 |
| 2015 | 2.21 |
| 2014 | 2.38 |
| 2013 |
Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in nearby economies
- Angola — 2.51% (2023)
- Benin — 3.23% (2023)
- Botswana — 8.06% (2020)
- Burkina Faso — 5.33% (2023)
- Burundi — 4.5% (2025)
- Cabo Verde — 4.35% (2023)
- Cameroon — 2.84% (2023)
- Central African Republic — 1.83% (2023)
- Chad — 3.2% (2023)
- Comoros
More education data for Madagascar
- Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils — 5.29 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 132.74% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers — 138,648 (2024)
- School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 6.15% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 135.63% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male (% gross)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Madagascar's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)?
- 3.05% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1972?
- It is down 0.17 percentage points from 3.22% in 1972. The highest value was 5.05% in 1977 and the lowest 1.54% in 1997.
- How does Madagascar rank?
- 48th highest of 75 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) unusual for Madagascar?
- In 2023, Madagascar's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) fell 0.02 percentage points on 2022 (from 3.07% to 3.05%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2022), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.37 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below 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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