Government expenditure on education, constant US$ in South Africa

South Africa: Government expenditure on education, constant US$ was 19,705 millions in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
19,705 millions
Change on year
up 6.5%
World rank
27th
of 167 countries
All-time high
19,705 millions
in 2019
All-time low
7,477 millions
in 1989
Years of data
25
1987–2019

Government expenditure on education, constant US$ in South Africa, 1987–2019

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k1987200320191987: 7.5k millions1988: 7.8k millions1989: 7.5k millions1990: 8.1k millions1991: 9.0k millions1993: 9.0k millions1994: 9.0k millions1996: 9.1k millions1999: 10.4k millions2000: 9.8k millions2001: 9.7k millions2002: 9.8k millions2003: 9.8k millions2004: 10.5k millions2005: 10.9k millions2006: 11.5k millions2007: 11.9k millions2008: 12.3k millions2009: 13.7k millions2010: 14.7k millions2015: 17.4k millions2016: 17.5k millions2017: 18.1k millions2018: 18.5k millions2019: 19.7k millions

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government expenditure on education, constant us$ in South Africa is 19,705 millions, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.5% on the previous year and up 43.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, constant us$ in South Africa peaked at 19,705 millions in 2019 and was at its lowest, 7,477 millions, in 1989.

South Africa ranks 27th of 167 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Government expenditure on education, constant US$ (millions) in South Africa, 1987 to 2019.
Year millions Change
1987 7,480 millions
1988 7,823 millions +4.6%
1989 7,477 millions -4.4%
1990 8,087 millions +8.2%
1991 9,023 millions +11.6%
1993 8,967 millions -0.6%
1994 8,954 millions -0.1%
1996 9,150 millions +2.2%
1999 10,368 millions +13.3%
2000 9,837 millions -5.1%
2001 9,716 millions -1.2%
2002 9,797 millions +0.8%
2003 9,756 millions -0.4%
2004 10,465 millions +7.3%
2005 10,930 millions +4.4%
2006 11,528 millions +5.5%
2007 11,937 millions +3.6%
2008 12,304 millions +3.1%
2009 13,695 millions +11.3%
2010 14,700 millions +7.3%
2015 17,374 millions +18.2%
2016 17,542 millions +1.0%
2017 18,116 millions +3.3%
2018 18,511 millions +2.2%
2019 19,705 millions +6.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 7,593 millions 7,477 millions 7,823 millions 3
1990s 9,092 millions 8,087 millions 10,368 millions 6
2000s 10,996 millions 9,716 millions 13,695 millions 10
2010s 17,658 millions 14,700 millions 19,705 millions 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 24 Poland 24,001 millions compare
  2. 25 Austria 22,414 millions compare
  3. 26 Israel 21,522 millions compare
  4. 28 Iran, Islamic Republic of 17,154 millions compare
  5. 29 Thailand 16,786 millions compare
  6. 30 Finland 16,267 millions compare

See the full ranking of 167 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on education, constant us$ in South Africa?
Government expenditure on education, constant us$ in South Africa was 19,705 millions in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on education, constant us$ recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 19,705 millions in 2019.
What is the lowest government expenditure on education, constant us$ recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 7,477 millions in 1989.
How does South Africa rank for government expenditure on education, constant us$?
South Africa ranks 27th out of 167 countries with data for 2019.
Is government expenditure on education, constant us$ 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 US$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on education, constant US$ in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-education-constant-us-millions/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on education, constant US$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
167 places, 3,670 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) in millions US$ 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 US$, and where it is expressed in constant value, uses a GDP deflator to account for inflation. The constant prices base year is normally three years before the year of the data release. For example, in the July 2017 data release, constant US$ 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/