Tanzania — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Tanzania, 1971–2024.
Education spending for Tanzania was 3.16% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 31 years, from 1971 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 4.64% in 2013. The lowest was 1.47% in 1990 (about 2.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.15% per year.
Tanzania ranks 129 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 75%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Tanzania sits below it. It peaked in 2013 and has fallen 32% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved down 7%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 25 of 41 economies; Madagascar (3.05%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 138% in 2004. That is 12% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1971 level: doubled by 2004. Doubling roughly every 61 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 48th of 53 in 1971 → 48th of 63 in 1980 → 48th of 50 in 1990 → 57th of 130 in 2010 → 122nd of 157 in 2020 → 33rd of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1971 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3.16% | -0.1 pp |
| 2023 | 3.26% | +0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 3.24% | +0.1 pp |
| 2021 | 3.12% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 3.23% | -0.4 pp |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 3.7% | -0.7 pp |
| 2017 | 4.43% | +0.3 pp |
| 2016 | 4.1% | -0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 4.19% | +0.8 pp |
| 2014 | 3.38% | -1.3 pp |
| 2013 | 4.64% | +0.4 pp |
| 2012 | 4.23% | -0.3 pp |
| 2011 | 4.58% | +0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 4.54% | +0.6 pp |
| 2009 | 3.96% | -0.2 pp |
| 2008 | 4.19% | +0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 4.03% | +1.0 pp |
| 2006 | 3.01% | -0.5 pp |
| 2005 | 3.55% | -0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 3.56% | +2.1 pp |
| 1998 | 1.5% | -0.2 pp |
| 1997 | 1.69% | -0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 1.74% | +0.3 pp |
| 1990 | 1.47% | -0.1 pp |
| 1989 | 1.55% | -1.1 pp |
| 1980 | 2.63% | +0.7 pp |
| 1974 | 1.91% | +0.0 pp |
| 1973 | 1.88% | +0.1 pp |
| 1972 | 1.75% | +0.0 pp |
| 1971 | 1.72% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Tanzania’s Education spending in 1972?
1.75% (1972). 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 Tanzania’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1971 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +83.0% in total — about 1.1% 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: 3.16%; 2023: 3.26%; 2022: 3.24%; 2021: 3.12%; 2020: 3.23%. 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.