Government expenditure on education, constant PPP$ in South Africa

South Africa: Government expenditure on education, constant PPP$ was 47,058 millions in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
47,058 millions
Change on year
up 6.5%
World rank
20th
of 161 countries
All-time high
47,058 millions
in 2019
All-time low
21,384 millions
in 1994
Years of data
21
1991–2019

Government expenditure on education, constant PPP$ in South Africa, 1991–2019

010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k1991200520191991: 21.5k millions1993: 21.4k millions1994: 21.4k millions1996: 21.9k millions1999: 24.8k millions2000: 23.5k millions2001: 23.2k millions2002: 23.4k millions2003: 23.3k millions2004: 25.0k millions2005: 26.1k millions2006: 27.5k millions2007: 28.5k millions2008: 29.4k millions2009: 32.7k millions2010: 35.1k millions2015: 41.5k millions2016: 41.9k millions2017: 43.3k millions2018: 44.2k millions2019: 47.1k millions

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government expenditure on education, constant ppp$ in South Africa is 47,058 millions, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.

That represents a change of up 6.5% on the previous year and up 43.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, constant ppp$ in South Africa peaked at 47,058 millions in 2019 and was at its lowest, 21,384 millions, in 1994.

That places South Africa 20th out of 161 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

Government expenditure on education, constant PPP$ in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on education, constant PPP$ (millions) in South Africa, 1991 to 2019.
Year millions Change
1991 21,549 millions
1993 21,415 millions -0.6%
1994 21,384 millions -0.1%
1996 21,850 millions +2.2%
1999 24,762 millions +13.3%
2000 23,493 millions -5.1%
2001 23,202 millions -1.2%
2002 23,398 millions +0.8%
2003 23,299 millions -0.4%
2004 24,992 millions +7.3%
2005 26,101 millions +4.4%
2006 27,530 millions +5.5%
2007 28,508 millions +3.6%
2008 29,383 millions +3.1%
2009 32,705 millions +11.3%
2010 35,105 millions +7.3%
2015 41,492 millions +18.2%
2016 41,893 millions +1.0%
2017 43,265 millions +3.3%
2018 44,206 millions +2.2%
2019 47,058 millions +6.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 22,192 millions 21,384 millions 24,762 millions 5
2000s 26,261 millions 23,202 millions 32,705 millions 10
2010s 42,170 millions 35,105 millions 47,058 millions 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 17 Argentina 56,688 millions compare
  2. 18 Poland 52,209 millions compare
  3. 19 Netherlands 49,069 millions compare
  4. 21 Iran, Islamic Republic of 45,751 millions compare
  5. 22 Thailand 44,355 millions compare
  6. 23 Sweden 40,148 millions compare

See the full ranking of 161 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on education, constant ppp$ in South Africa?
Government expenditure on education, constant ppp$ in South Africa was 47,058 millions in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on education, constant ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 47,058 millions in 2019.
What is the lowest government expenditure on education, constant ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 21,384 millions in 1994.
How does South Africa rank for government expenditure on education, constant ppp$?
South Africa ranks 20th out of 161 countries with data for 2019.
Is government expenditure on education, constant ppp$ rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 43.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on education, constant PPP$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on education, constant PPP$ in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-education-constant-ppp-millions/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on education, constant PPP$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
161 places, 2,648 data points, 1990–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers), in millions PPP$ (at purchasing power parity) in constant value (taking into account inflation). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Total government expenditure for a given level of education (e.g. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) in national currency is converted to PPP$, and where it is expressed in constant value, uses a GDP deflator to account for inflation. The constant prices base year is normally three years before the year of the data release. For example, in the July 2017 data release, constant PPP$ values are expressed in 2014 prices. Limitations: In some instances data on total government 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/