Eswatini — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Eswatini, 1976–2024.
Education spending for Eswatini was 6.03% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 39 years, from 1976 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 7.28% in 2014. The lowest was 3.71% in 1976 (about 1.6× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.01% per year.
Eswatini ranks 23 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 13%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Eswatini sits above it. It peaked in 2014 and has fallen 17% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved down 17%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 6 of 41 economies; South Africa (6.02%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 47% in 1978. That is 5% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 69 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 30th of 49 in 1976 → 19th of 63 in 1980 → 5th of 50 in 1990 → 25th of 116 in 2000 → 20th of 130 in 2010 → 48th of 157 in 2020 → 8th of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1976 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6.03% | +1.0 pp |
| 2023 | 5% | -0.6 pp |
| 2022 | 5.57% | +0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 5.29% | -0.0 pp |
| 2020 | 5.33% | -0.4 pp |
| 2019 | 5.7% | -0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 5.74% | -0.4 pp |
| 2017 | 6.18% | +0.7 pp |
| 2016 | 5.43% | +0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 5.35% | -1.9 pp |
| 2014 | 7.28% | +2.2 pp |
| 2013 | 5.08% | -0.5 pp |
| 2012 | 5.59% | -1.3 pp |
| 2011 | 6.86% | +0.7 pp |
| 2010 | 6.12% | -0.4 pp |
| 2009 | 6.47% | -0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 6.62% | +0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 6.55% | +0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 6.48% | +1.1 pp |
| 2004 | 5.4% | -0.4 pp |
| 2003 | 5.82% | +1.4 pp |
| 2002 | 4.44% | -0.4 pp |
| 2001 | 4.84% | -0.7 pp |
| 2000 | 5.51% | +0.4 pp |
| 1999 | 5.09% | +0.2 pp |
| 1996 | 4.94% | -0.7 pp |
| 1995 | 5.65% | +0.5 pp |
| 1994 | 5.14% | -0.3 pp |
| 1990 | 5.48% | -0.2 pp |
| 1989 | 5.66% | +0.1 pp |
| 1988 | 5.51% | -0.3 pp |
| 1987 | 5.8% | -1.0 pp |
| 1982 | 6.75% | +0.2 pp |
| 1981 | 6.58% | +1.3 pp |
| 1980 | 5.3% | -1.1 pp |
| 1979 | 6.36% | +0.6 pp |
| 1978 | 5.8% | +1.9 pp |
| 1977 | 3.94% | +0.2 pp |
| 1976 | 3.71% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Eswatini’s Education spending in 1977?
3.94% (1977). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Eswatini’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1976 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +62.4% in total — about 1.0% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2024: 6.03%; 2023: 5%; 2022: 5.57%; 2021: 5.29%; 2020: 5.33%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.