Eswatini vs Lesotho: Government expenditure on primary education as % of GDP

Eswatini
3.6%
in 2014
Lesotho
3.9%
in 2018
Eswatini rank
4th
Lesotho rank
2nd

Government expenditure on primary education as % of GDP over time

  • Eswatini
  • Lesotho
246197219952018

How they compare

Lesotho currently reports 3.9% against 3.6% in Eswatini, a difference of 0.3%.

That makes Lesotho's figure about 1.1 times Eswatini's.

Across all 10 years both countries report, Lesotho has been ahead every year.

Eswatini ranks 4th and Lesotho ranks 2nd of 152 countries.

Lesotho has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Eswatini Lesotho Difference Ahead
1980s 1.9% 3.0% 1.1% Lesotho
1990s 1.6% 4.7% 3.2% Lesotho
2000s 2.2% 4.8% 2.6% Lesotho

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government expenditure on primary education as % of gdp, Eswatini or Lesotho?
Lesotho, at 3.9% against 3.6% in Eswatini as of 2018.
What is the difference in government expenditure on primary education as % of gdp between Eswatini and Lesotho?
0.3%, with Lesotho ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Eswatini and Lesotho?
10 years are reported by both, from 1988 to 2008.
How do Eswatini and Lesotho rank globally for government expenditure on primary education as % of gdp?
Eswatini ranks 4th and Lesotho ranks 2nd of 152 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Government expenditure on primary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Eswatini vs Lesotho: Government expenditure on primary education as % of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/government-expenditure-on-primary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/eswatini/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on primary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
152 places, 2,924 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on primary education (current, capital, and transfers), expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Divide total government expenditure for a given level of education (ex. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) by the GDP, and multiply by 100. A higher percentage of GDP spent on education shows a higher government priority for education, but also a higher capacity of the government to raise revenues for public spending, in relation to the size of the country's economy. When interpreting this indicator however, one should keep in mind in some countries, the private sector and/or households may fund a higher proportion of total funding for education, thus making government expenditure appear lower than in other countries. Limitations: In some instances data on total public expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/