Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Namibia
Namibia: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education was 24.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Namibia, 1999–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Namibia stood at 24.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Namibia peaked at 29.1% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 20.3%, in 2003.
That places Namibia 5th out of 194 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 23.0% | — |
| 2000 | 21.9% | -4.9% |
| 2001 | 22.8% | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 21.8% | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 20.3% | -6.9% |
| 2006 | 21.6% | +6.3% |
| 2008 | 24.9% | +15.1% |
| 2010 | 26.1% | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 24.4% | -6.6% |
| 2012 | 23.0% | -5.7% |
| 2013 | 24.1% | +4.8% |
| 2014 | 24.0% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 22.6% | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 23.9% | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 24.7% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 23.3% | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 29.1% | +24.6% |
| 2020 | 24.9% | -14.2% |
| 2021 | 25.1% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 24.7% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 25.1% | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 24.6% | -1.9% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 24.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.5%, 1.7× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 24.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.2%, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.0% | 23.0% | 23.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 22.2% | 20.3% | 24.9% | 6 |
| 2010s | 24.5% | 22.6% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.9% | 24.6% | 25.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More economy & growth data for Namibia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.07 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.64 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 44.40 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0033 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 14.65 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 1.93 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -15.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.1418 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 638.56 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -7.48 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Namibia?
- Share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Namibia was 24.6% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.1% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.3% in 2003.
- How does Namibia rank for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education?
- Namibia ranks 5th out of 194 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of total general government spending (across all sectors) that is allocated to education.