Sao Tome and Principe — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Sao Tome and Principe, 2002–2023.
Education spending for Sao Tome and Principe was 5.03% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 22 years, from 2002 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 9.99% in 2009. The lowest was 2.72% in 2002 (about 1.8× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 2.97% per year.
Sao Tome and Principe ranks 57 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 33%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Sao Tome and Principe sits above it. It peaked in 2009 and has fallen 50% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved down 25%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 10 of 41 economies; Rwanda (4.61%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 80% in 2009. That is 8% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 2002 level: doubled by 2007. Doubling roughly every 24 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 95th of 116 in 2002 → 3rd of 130 in 2010 → 59th of 157 in 2020 → 24th of 107 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 2002 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5.03% | -0.2 pp |
| 2022 | 5.19% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 5.54% | +0.5 pp |
| 2020 | 5.03% | -1.1 pp |
| 2019 | 6.11% | +0.5 pp |
| 2018 | 5.62% | -0.3 pp |
| 2017 | 5.87% | -0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 6.12% | +1.4 pp |
| 2015 | 4.7% | +0.3 pp |
| 2014 | 4.43% | -2.3 pp |
| 2013 | 6.69% | -0.2 pp |
| 2012 | 6.93% | -1.9 pp |
| 2011 | 8.79% | -1.2 pp |
| 2010 | 9.99% | -0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 9.99% | +4.4 pp |
| 2008 | 5.55% | -0.7 pp |
| 2007 | 6.29% | +2.0 pp |
| 2006 | 4.27% | -0.6 pp |
| 2005 | 4.86% | +1.6 pp |
| 2004 | 3.23% | -0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 3.25% | +0.5 pp |
| 2002 | 2.72% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Sao Tome and Principe’s Education spending in 2003?
3.25% (2003). 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 Sao Tome and Principe’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 2002 and 2023 the series was growing overall: +84.8% in total — about 3.0% 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: 2023: 5.03%; 2022: 5.19%; 2021: 5.54%; 2020: 5.03%; 2019: 6.11%. 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.