South Africa — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for South Africa, 1987–2024.
Education spending for South Africa was 6.02% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 34 years, from 1987 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 6.56% in 2021. The lowest was 4.35% in 2003 (about 1.4× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.64% per year.
South Africa ranks 24 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 14%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so South Africa sits above it. It peaked in 2021 and has fallen 8% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved up 10%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 7 of 41 economies; Mozambique (5.98%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 12% in 1991. That is 3% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 109 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 17th of 54 in 1987 → 13th of 50 in 1990 → 36th of 116 in 2000 → 41st of 130 in 2010 → 24th of 157 in 2020 → 9th of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1987 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6.02% | -0.1 pp |
| 2023 | 6.12% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 6.16% | -0.4 pp |
| 2021 | 6.56% | +0.4 pp |
| 2020 | 6.17% | +0.3 pp |
| 2019 | 5.91% | +0.3 pp |
| 2018 | 5.64% | +0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 5.6% | +0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 5.44% | -0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 5.48% | -0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 5.49% | +0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 5.35% | -0.2 pp |
| 2012 | 5.52% | +0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 5.29% | +0.2 pp |
| 2010 | 5.13% | +0.4 pp |
| 2009 | 4.76% | +0.4 pp |
| 2008 | 4.37% | -0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 4.45% | -0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 4.53% | +0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 4.52% | +0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 4.51% | +0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 4.35% | -0.2 pp |
| 2002 | 4.55% | -0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 4.64% | -0.3 pp |
| 2000 | 4.91% | -0.4 pp |
| 1999 | 5.29% | +0.2 pp |
| 1996 | 5.05% | -0.3 pp |
| 1994 | 5.3% | -0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 5.39% | +0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 5.26% | +0.6 pp |
| 1990 | 4.7% | +0.3 pp |
| 1989 | 4.44% | -0.4 pp |
| 1988 | 4.85% | +0.1 pp |
| 1987 | 4.75% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was South Africa’s Education spending in 1988?
4.85% (1988). 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 South Africa’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1987 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +26.7% in total — about 0.6% 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: 6.02%; 2023: 6.12%; 2022: 6.16%; 2021: 6.56%; 2020: 6.17%. 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.