Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP

Bangladesh
0.5%
in 2019
Sri Lanka
0.4%
in 2018
Bangladesh rank
120th
Sri Lanka rank
123rd

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP over time

  • Bangladesh
  • Sri Lanka
0.10.20.30.40.50.6197319962019

How they compare

Bangladesh currently reports 0.5% against 0.4% in Sri Lanka, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 17 shared years of data; in 1979 it was Sri Lanka ahead.

Bangladesh ranks 120th and Sri Lanka ranks 123rd of 160 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Bangladesh averaged higher in 1 and Sri Lanka in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Bangladesh Sri Lanka Difference Ahead
1970s 0.3% 0.3% 0.1% Sri Lanka
1980s 0.1% 0.5% 0.3% Sri Lanka
1990s 0.1% 0.4% 0.3% Sri Lanka
2000s 0.2% 0.4% 0.1% Sri Lanka
2010s 0.3% 0.3% 0.0% Bangladesh

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka?
Bangladesh, at 0.5% against 0.4% in Sri Lanka as of 2019.
What is the difference in government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka?
0.1%, with Bangladesh ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka?
17 years are reported by both, from 1979 to 2016.
How do Bangladesh and Sri Lanka rank globally for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp?
Bangladesh ranks 120th and Sri Lanka ranks 123rd of 160 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/bangladesh/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
160 places, 3,221 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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