Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in South Africa
South Africa: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education was 19.1% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
19.1%
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
26th
of 194 countries
All-time high
20.5%
in 2001
All-time low
17.9%
in 2008
Years of data
25
2001–2025
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in South Africa, 2001–2025
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 South Africa stood at 19.1%.
The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in South Africa peaked at 20.5% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 2008.
South Africa ranks 26th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 20.5% | — |
| 2002 | 20.1% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 19.6% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 19.9% | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 19.9% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 18.0% | -9.6% |
| 2007 | 18.0% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 17.9% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 18.3% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 18.0% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 18.7% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 19.7% | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 18.7% | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 19.0% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 18.7% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 18.0% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 18.7% | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 18.9% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 19.6% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 19.7% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 18.9% | -3.7% |
| 2022 | 18.9% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 19.2% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 18.5% | -3.4% |
| 2025 | 19.1% | +3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.1% | 17.9% | 20.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 18.8% | 18.0% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.1% | 18.5% | 19.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More economy & growth data for South Africa
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.4836 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.4 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 6.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.8998 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 5,937 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 3.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 16.1 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 106,203 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 1.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.7819 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in South Africa?
- Share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in South Africa was 19.1% 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 20.5% in 2001.
- What is the lowest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 2008.
- How does South Africa rank for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education?
- South Africa ranks 26th 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 South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of total general government spending (across all sectors) that is allocated to education.