Sri Lanka — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Sri Lanka, 1973–2023.
Education spending for Sri Lanka was 1.83% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 33 years, from 1973 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 3.34% in 1996. The lowest was 1.20% in 2022 (about 1.5× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -1.18% per year.
Sri Lanka ranks 165 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 96%. The median for South Asia is 4.10%, so Sri Lanka sits below it. It peaked in 1996 and has fallen 45% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved up 17%. Within South Asia it ranks 6 of 6 economies; Bangladesh (2.03%) is just above it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 53% in 2016. That is 6% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 30th of 49 in 1973 → 46th of 63 in 1980 → 39th of 50 in 1990 → 122nd of 130 in 2010 → 154th of 157 in 2020 → 100th of 107 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 1973 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1.83% | +0.6 pp |
| 2022 | 1.2% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 1.51% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 1.56% | -0.4 pp |
| 2018 | 1.99% | -0.6 pp |
| 2017 | 2.59% | -0.6 pp |
| 2016 | 3.23% | +1.1 pp |
| 2015 | 2.11% | +0.3 pp |
| 2014 | 1.86% | +0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 1.56% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 1.45% | -0.3 pp |
| 2011 | 1.74% | +0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 1.66% | -0.4 pp |
| 2009 | 2.06% | -1.0 pp |
| 1998 | 3.05% | -0.3 pp |
| 1996 | 3.34% | +0.4 pp |
| 1995 | 2.96% | -0.2 pp |
| 1994 | 3.11% | +0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 2.92% | +0.5 pp |
| 1990 | 2.41% | -0.3 pp |
| 1989 | 2.76% | -0.1 pp |
| 1988 | 2.83% | +0.2 pp |
| 1987 | 2.64% | -0.2 pp |
| 1986 | 2.81% | +0.2 pp |
| 1985 | 2.58% | +0.4 pp |
| 1984 | 2.17% | -0.2 pp |
| 1983 | 2.39% | -0.2 pp |
| 1982 | 2.56% | +0.1 pp |
| 1981 | 2.44% | -0.3 pp |
| 1980 | 2.7% | +0.1 pp |
| 1979 | 2.57% | -0.2 pp |
| 1975 | 2.74% | -0.6 pp |
| 1973 | 3.32% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Sri Lanka’s Education spending in 1975?
2.74% (1975). 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 Sri Lanka’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1973 and 2023 the series was shrinking overall: -44.9% in total — about 1.2% 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: 1.83%; 2022: 1.2%; 2021: 1.51%; 2020: 1.56%; 2018: 1.99%. 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.