Namibia — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Namibia, 1999–2024.
Education spending for Namibia was 9.08% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 21 years, from 1999 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 10.59% in 2016. The lowest was 1.40% in 2017 (about 6.5× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.97% per year.
Namibia ranks 3 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 2%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Namibia sits above it. It peaked in 2016 and has fallen 14% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved up 148%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 1 of 41 economies; Botswana (8.06%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 537% in 2018. That is 11% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 72 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 6th of 111 in 1999 → 9th of 116 in 2000 → 6th of 130 in 2010 → 4th of 157 in 2020 → 1st of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1999 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9.08% | -0.3 pp |
| 2022 | 9.39% | -1.0 pp |
| 2021 | 10.39% | +1.1 pp |
| 2020 | 9.28% | -0.0 pp |
| 2019 | 9.32% | +0.4 pp |
| 2018 | 8.88% | +7.5 pp |
| 2017 | 1.4% | -9.2 pp |
| 2016 | 10.59% | +0.7 pp |
| 2015 | 9.85% | +6.2 pp |
| 2014 | 3.67% | -4.9 pp |
| 2013 | 8.6% | -0.6 pp |
| 2012 | 9.24% | +1.2 pp |
| 2011 | 8.02% | -0.2 pp |
| 2010 | 8.24% | +1.8 pp |
| 2008 | 6.4% | +0.4 pp |
| 2006 | 6.03% | -0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 6.14% | -0.6 pp |
| 2002 | 6.74% | -0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 6.89% | -0.0 pp |
| 2000 | 6.9% | -0.2 pp |
| 1999 | 7.13% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Namibia’s Education spending in 2000?
6.9% (2000). 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 Namibia’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1999 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +27.4% 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: 9.08%; 2022: 9.39%; 2021: 10.39%; 2020: 9.28%; 2019: 9.32%. 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.