Malawi vs South Africa: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP

Malawi
1.1%
in 2016
South Africa
1.1%
in 2019
Malawi rank
48th
South Africa rank
46th

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP over time

  • Malawi
  • South Africa
0.50.7511.21.5197119952019

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 1.1% against 1.1% in Malawi, a difference of 0.0%.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 13 shared years of data; in 1987 it was South Africa ahead.

Malawi ranks 48th and South Africa ranks 46th of 160 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malawi South Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 0.9% 1.3% 0.4% South Africa
1990s 0.8% 1.1% 0.3% South Africa
2000s 0.8% 0.8% 0.0% South Africa
2010s 1.2% 0.7% 0.5% Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp, Malawi or South Africa?
South Africa, at 1.1% against 1.1% in Malawi as of 2019.
What is the difference in government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp between Malawi and South Africa?
0.0%, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Africa?
13 years are reported by both, from 1987 to 2015.
How do Malawi and South Africa rank globally for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp?
Malawi ranks 48th and South Africa ranks 46th 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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Malawi vs South Africa: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/malawi/south-africa/

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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/