Gambia, The — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Gambia, The, 1985–2023.
Education spending for Gambia, The was 2.81% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 33 years, from 1985 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 4.30% in 1985. The lowest was 0.62% in 2004 (about 4.5× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -1.11% per year.
Gambia, The ranks 144 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 84%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Gambia, The sits below it. It peaked in 1985 and has fallen 35% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved up 54%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 30 of 41 economies; Malawi (2.75%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 167% in 2008. That is 12% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 25th of 55 in 1985 → 34th of 50 in 1990 → 114th of 116 in 2000 → 108th of 130 in 2010 → 131st of 157 in 2020 → 80th of 107 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 1985 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2.81% | -0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 2.89% | -0.2 pp |
| 2021 | 3.04% | +0.2 pp |
| 2020 | 2.89% | +0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 2.81% | +0.4 pp |
| 2018 | 2.37% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 2.46% | +0.4 pp |
| 2016 | 2.02% | -0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 2.16% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 2.23% | +0.4 pp |
| 2013 | 1.82% | -0.8 pp |
| 2012 | 2.64% | +0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 2.5% | -0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 2.56% | +0.7 pp |
| 2009 | 1.91% | -0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 2.18% | +1.4 pp |
| 2007 | 0.82% | +0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 0.75% | +0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 0.69% | +0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 0.62% | -0.7 pp |
| 2003 | 1.36% | -0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 1.44% | +0.3 pp |
| 2001 | 1.16% | -0.3 pp |
| 2000 | 1.47% | -0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 1.57% | -1.0 pp |
| 1996 | 2.57% | +0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 2.55% | +1.4 pp |
| 1992 | 1.17% | -2.6 pp |
| 1991 | 3.78% | +1.0 pp |
| 1990 | 2.83% | -0.1 pp |
| 1989 | 2.97% | -0.5 pp |
| 1986 | 3.48% | -0.8 pp |
| 1985 | 4.3% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Gambia, The’s Education spending in 1986?
3.48% (1986). 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 Gambia, The’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1985 and 2023 the series was shrinking overall: -34.6% in total — about 1.1% 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: 2023: 2.81%; 2022: 2.89%; 2021: 3.04%; 2020: 2.89%; 2019: 2.81%. 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.