Rwanda — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Rwanda, 1977–2024.
Education spending for Rwanda was 4.61% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 28 years, from 1977 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 5.59% in 2021. The lowest was 2.15% in 1977 (about 2.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.64% per year.
Rwanda ranks 68 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 40%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Rwanda sits above it. It peaked in 2021 and has fallen 17% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved up 10%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 11 of 41 economies; Burundi (4.50%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 68% in 2021. That is 16% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1977 level: doubled by 1981. Doubling roughly every 43 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 43rd of 49 in 1977 → 47th of 63 in 1980 → 73rd of 116 in 2000 → 55th of 130 in 2010 → 116th of 157 in 2020 → 17th of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1977 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4.61% | -0.3 pp |
| 2023 | 4.92% | +0.2 pp |
| 2022 | 4.74% | -0.8 pp |
| 2021 | 5.59% | +2.3 pp |
| 2020 | 3.33% | +0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 3.24% | +0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 3.07% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 3.12% | -0.3 pp |
| 2016 | 3.43% | -0.2 pp |
| 2015 | 3.65% | -0.5 pp |
| 2014 | 4.2% | -0.5 pp |
| 2013 | 4.74% | +0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 4.42% | +0.0 pp |
| 2011 | 4.38% | -0.2 pp |
| 2010 | 4.63% | +1.1 pp |
| 2008 | 3.5% | -0.5 pp |
| 2007 | 3.99% | -0.8 pp |
| 2001 | 4.83% | +1.4 pp |
| 2000 | 3.43% | -0.4 pp |
| 1999 | 3.86% | +0.1 pp |
| 1989 | 3.75% | +0.4 pp |
| 1988 | 3.34% | -0.2 pp |
| 1987 | 3.51% | -0.9 pp |
| 1981 | 4.39% | +1.7 pp |
| 1980 | 2.67% | +0.2 pp |
| 1979 | 2.44% | +0.2 pp |
| 1978 | 2.23% | +0.1 pp |
| 1977 | 2.15% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Rwanda’s Education spending in 1978?
2.23% (1978). 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 Rwanda’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1977 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +114.6% in total — about 1.6% 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: 4.61%; 2023: 4.92%; 2022: 4.74%; 2021: 5.59%; 2020: 3.33%. 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.