Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Tonga
Tonga: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education was 9.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Tonga, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Tonga recorded 9.3% for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in 2024.
That represents a change of up 10.5% on the previous year and down 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Tonga peaked at 26.1% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 8.4%, in 2023.
That places Tonga 158th out of 194 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Tonga, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 26.1% | — |
| 2000 | 23.0% | -11.9% |
| 2001 | 22.1% | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 15.8% | -28.4% |
| 2003 | 18.6% | +17.6% |
| 2004 | 19.1% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 11.1% | -42.0% |
| 2018 | 11.3% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 13.0% | +15.2% |
| 2020 | 10.7% | -17.4% |
| 2021 | 10.1% | -5.7% |
| 2022 | 9.8% | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 8.4% | -13.5% |
| 2024 | 9.3% | +10.5% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 9.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.3%, 70% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 9.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.4%, 75% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.1% | 26.1% | 26.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 19.7% | 15.8% | 23.0% | 5 |
| 2010s | 11.8% | 11.1% | 13.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 9.7% | 8.4% | 10.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
More economy & growth data for Tonga
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.3875 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.2 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 1.25 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0019 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 12.03 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled -12.08 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -560.68 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0187 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -115.95 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 9.39 % 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 Tonga?
- Share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Tonga was 9.3% in 2024, 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 Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 26.1% in 1999.
- What is the lowest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.4% in 2023.
- How does Tonga rank for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education?
- Tonga ranks 158th out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tonga 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.