Eswatini vs South Africa: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education
Eswatini
19.2%
in 2025
South Africa
19.1%
in 2025
Eswatini rank
23rd
South Africa rank
26th
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education over time
- Eswatini
- South Africa
How they compare
Eswatini currently reports 19.2% against 19.1% in South Africa, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2001 it was South Africa ahead.
Eswatini ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 26th of 194 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Eswatini averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Eswatini | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.6% | 19.3% | 1.3% | Eswatini |
| 2010s | 19.1% | 18.8% | 0.3% | Eswatini |
| 2020s | 17.2% | 19.1% | 1.8% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education, Eswatini or South Africa?
- Eswatini, at 19.2% against 19.1% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education between Eswatini and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with Eswatini ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Eswatini and South Africa?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2025.
- How do Eswatini and South Africa rank globally for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education?
- Eswatini ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 26th of 194 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of total general government spending (across all sectors) that is allocated to education.