Ethiopia — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Ethiopia, 1971–2024.
Education spending for Ethiopia was 2.30% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 37 years, from 1971 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 5.57% in 2012. The lowest was 1.20% in 1971 (about 1.9× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.24% per year.
Ethiopia ranks 155 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 90%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Ethiopia sits below it. It peaked in 2012 and has fallen 59% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved down 50%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 37 of 41 economies; Liberia (2.27%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 64% in 1977. That is 46% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1971 level: doubled by 1996. Doubling roughly every 56 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 52nd of 53 in 1971 → 59th of 63 in 1980 → 58th of 116 in 2000 → 59th of 130 in 2010 → 93rd of 157 in 2020 → 36th of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1971 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2.3% | -0.6 pp |
| 2023 | 2.93% | -0.8 pp |
| 2022 | 3.74% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 4.07% | -0.0 pp |
| 2020 | 4.09% | -0.4 pp |
| 2019 | 4.48% | -0.7 pp |
| 2018 | 5.22% | -0.3 pp |
| 2017 | 5.5% | +0.4 pp |
| 2016 | 5.06% | +0.3 pp |
| 2015 | 4.74% | +0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 4.6% | +0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 4.5% | -1.1 pp |
| 2012 | 5.57% | +0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 5.49% | +1.0 pp |
| 2010 | 4.5% | +0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 4.42% | -1.0 pp |
| 2008 | 5.41% | -0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 5.45% | -0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 5.49% | +1.9 pp |
| 2002 | 3.63% | -0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 3.7% | -0.2 pp |
| 2000 | 3.89% | +1.2 pp |
| 1997 | 2.69% | -0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 2.71% | +0.4 pp |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +0.2 pp |
| 1986 | 2.09% | -0.2 pp |
| 1985 | 2.28% | +0.2 pp |
| 1984 | 2.06% | -0.2 pp |
| 1983 | 2.25% | +0.2 pp |
| 1982 | 2.06% | +0.2 pp |
| 1981 | 1.86% | +0.0 pp |
| 1980 | 1.82% | -0.2 pp |
| 1979 | 2% | +0.1 pp |
| 1978 | 1.93% | -0.2 pp |
| 1977 | 2.16% | +0.8 pp |
| 1972 | 1.31% | +0.1 pp |
| 1971 | 1.2% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Ethiopia’s Education spending in 1972?
1.31% (1972). 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 Ethiopia’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1971 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +91.9% in total — about 1.2% 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: 2.3%; 2023: 2.93%; 2022: 3.74%; 2021: 4.07%; 2020: 4.09%. 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.