Namibia: Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 7.49 percentage points in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.2 percentage points in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 3% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Namibia had the 2nd highest value of the 38 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 Namibia in the 2024 ranking

• Algeria — 2nd of 38: 8.98%
• Vanuatu — 3rd of 38: 7.64%
• Mauritania — 4th of 38: 7.61%

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 21 values

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 Namibia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 14 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Over-age students, primary, female (% of female enrollment) — 13% (2018)
• Over-age students, primary, male (% of male enrollment) — 18.31% (2018)
• Over-age students, primary (% of enrollment) — 15.7% (2018)
• Primary education, pupils — 590,029 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 120.72% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Namibia's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)?

9.08% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1999?

It is up 1.95 percentage points from 7.13% in 1999. The highest value was 10.59% in 2016 and the lowest 1.4% in 2017.

How does Namibia rank?

2nd highest of 38 economies with data for 2024.

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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