Barbados vs South Africa: Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP

Barbados
1.9%
in 2016
South Africa
1.9%
in 2019
Barbados rank
37th
South Africa rank
38th

Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP over time

  • Barbados
  • South Africa
0123197619972019

How they compare

Barbados currently reports 1.9% against 1.9% in South Africa, a difference of 0.0%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 13 shared years of data; in 1999 it was South Africa ahead.

Barbados ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 38th of 152 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, Barbados averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Barbados South Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 1.4% 2.0% 0.5% South Africa
2000s 1.8% 1.7% 0.1% Barbados
2010s 1.6% 1.9% 0.3% South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp, Barbados or South Africa?
Barbados, at 1.9% against 1.9% in South Africa as of 2016.
What is the difference in government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp between Barbados and South Africa?
0.0%, with Barbados ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Barbados and South Africa?
13 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2014.
How do Barbados and South Africa rank globally for government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp?
Barbados ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 38th of 152 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Barbados vs South Africa: Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/government-expenditure-on-secondary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/barbados/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
152 places, 2,921 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on secondary 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/