Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD): Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 0.1 percentage points from 3.62% in 2018. Since 1977 it is down 0.82 percentage points from 4.34% in 1977. The World Bank has no value for 30 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.05 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 49% of the movement over 9 observed years.

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

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full 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 17 values

Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Algeria — 8.98% (2024)
• Bahrain — 1.89% (2023)
• Djibouti — 3.75% (2018)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 2.82% (2023)
• Israel — 5.93% (2022)
• Jordan — 3.23% (2024)
• Kuwait — 6.44% (2024)
• Lebanon — 1.22% (2024)
• Malta — 4.71% (2022)
• Morocco

More education data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)

• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Compulsory education, duration (years) — 9 (2025)
• Preprimary education, duration (years) — 2 (2025)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) — 13.1% (2022)

Every indicator for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) is on the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) data page.

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Questions people ask

What is Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)'s government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)?

3.51% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1977?

It is down 0.82 percentage points from 4.34% in 1977. The highest value was 5.61% in 1982 and the lowest 3.15% in 2022.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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..

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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