Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Samoa
Samoa: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education was 11.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Samoa, 1999–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Samoa is 11.7%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 9.0% on the previous year and down 20.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Samoa peaked at 16.1% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 8.8%, in 2010.
That places Samoa 119th out of 194 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Samoa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 13.4% | — |
| 2000 | 10.5% | -22.0% |
| 2001 | 12.8% | +22.1% |
| 2002 | 12.8% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 16.1% | +25.6% |
| 2010 | 8.8% | -45.1% |
| 2011 | 11.0% | +25.2% |
| 2012 | 12.2% | +10.2% |
| 2013 | 14.7% | +20.5% |
| 2014 | 15.0% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 14.7% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 13.0% | -11.3% |
| 2017 | 15.2% | +16.3% |
| 2018 | 15.0% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 13.4% | -10.2% |
| 2020 | 12.8% | -4.6% |
| 2021 | 15.4% | +19.9% |
| 2022 | 13.6% | -11.5% |
| 2023 | 13.7% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 12.9% | -6.3% |
| 2025 | 11.7% | -9.0% |
Samoa compared with similar countries
- Samoa's 11.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.3%, 88% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Samoa's 11.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.4%, 94% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.4% | 13.4% | 13.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 13.0% | 10.5% | 16.1% | 4 |
| 2010s | 13.3% | 8.8% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.4% | 11.7% | 15.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
More economy & growth data for Samoa
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.6345 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 395,277 BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0003 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1.8 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 2.22 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -40.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0017 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 10.13 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 17.84 % 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 Samoa?
- Share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Samoa was 11.7% 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 Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 16.1% in 2008.
- What is the lowest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.8% in 2010.
- How does Samoa rank for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education?
- Samoa ranks 119th 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 Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Samoa 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.