Ghana — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Ghana, 1971–2022.
Education spending for Ghana was 2.91% in 2022, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 34 years, from 1971 to 2022. The highest recorded value was 8.14% in 2011. The lowest was 1.81% in 1981 (about 1.6× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.73% per year.
Ghana ranks 136 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 79%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Ghana sits below it. It peaked in 2011 and has fallen 64% since. Over the last decade (2012–2022) the figure moved down 63%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 27 of 41 economies; Congo, Dem. Rep. (2.84%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 76% in 1986. That is 30% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 19th of 53 in 1971 → 45th of 63 in 1980 → 30th of 130 in 2010 → 113th of 157 in 2020 → 111th of 150 in 2022.
Key figures
Full history — 1971 to 2022
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2.91% | -0.5 pp |
| 2021 | 3.4% | -0.0 pp |
| 2020 | 3.41% | +0.3 pp |
| 2019 | 3.15% | -0.7 pp |
| 2018 | 3.89% | +0.4 pp |
| 2017 | 3.53% | -0.9 pp |
| 2016 | 4.39% | -0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 4.43% | +0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 4.4% | -0.2 pp |
| 2013 | 4.58% | -3.3 pp |
| 2012 | 7.92% | -0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 8.14% | +2.6 pp |
| 2010 | 5.54% | +0.2 pp |
| 2009 | 5.32% | -0.4 pp |
| 2008 | 5.76% | +0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 5.52% | +0.4 pp |
| 2006 | 5.15% | -2.3 pp |
| 2005 | 7.42% | -0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 7.54% | +2.2 pp |
| 2001 | 5.35% | +1.2 pp |
| 1999 | 4.11% | +0.9 pp |
| 1988 | 3.19% | -0.1 pp |
| 1987 | 3.31% | -0.0 pp |
| 1986 | 3.35% | +1.4 pp |
| 1982 | 1.9% | +0.1 pp |
| 1981 | 1.81% | -0.9 pp |
| 1980 | 2.71% | +0.4 pp |
| 1979 | 2.31% | -3.8 pp |
| 1977 | 6.1% | +0.3 pp |
| 1976 | 5.83% | +1.0 pp |
| 1975 | 4.88% | +1.1 pp |
| 1974 | 3.8% | -0.8 pp |
| 1972 | 4.62% | +0.4 pp |
| 1971 | 4.22% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Ghana’s Education spending in 1972?
4.62% (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 Ghana’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1971 and 2022 the series was shrinking overall: -31.1% in total — about 0.7% 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: 2022: 2.91%; 2021: 3.4%; 2020: 3.41%; 2019: 3.15%; 2018: 3.89%. 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.