Liberia — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Liberia, 1978–2023.
Education spending for Liberia was 2.27% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 15 years, from 1978 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 6.99% in 1978. The lowest was 1.69% in 2013 (about 1.3× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -2.47% per year.
Liberia ranks 156 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 91%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Liberia sits below it. It peaked in 1978 and has fallen 68% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved up 34%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 38 of 41 economies; Central African Republic (1.83%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 73% in 2008.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 3rd of 51 in 1978 → 9th of 63 in 1980 → 148th of 157 in 2020 → 91st of 107 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 1978 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2.27% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 2.28% | -0.1 pp |
| 2021 | 2.42% | +0.3 pp |
| 2020 | 2.14% | -0.0 pp |
| 2019 | 2.17% | -0.3 pp |
| 2018 | 2.5% | -0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 2.66% | +0.5 pp |
| 2016 | 2.11% | -0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 2.12% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +0.5 pp |
| 2013 | 1.69% | -0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 1.78% | +0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 1.7% | -4.6 pp |
| 1980 | 6.26% | -0.7 pp |
| 1978 | 6.99% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Liberia’s Education spending in 1980?
6.26% (1980). 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 Liberia’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1978 and 2023 the series was shrinking overall: -67.6% in total — about 2.5% 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: 2.27%; 2022: 2.28%; 2021: 2.42%; 2020: 2.14%; 2019: 2.17%. 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.