Government expenditure on primary education, constant PPP$ in South Africa

South Africa: Government expenditure on primary education, constant PPP$ was 17,644 millions in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
17,644 millions
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
16th
of 133 countries
All-time high
17,644 millions
in 2019
All-time low
9,715 millions
in 2003
Years of data
18
1999–2019

Government expenditure on primary education, constant PPP$ in South Africa, 1999–2019

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k1999200920191999: 11.1k millions2000: 10.8k millions2001: 10.3k millions2002: 10.3k millions2003: 9.7k millions2004: 10.1k millions2005: 11.2k millions2006: 12.4k millions2007: 12.1k millions2008: 12.0k millions2009: 13.4k millions2010: 14.9k millions2011: 15.3k millions2012: 16.6k millions2014: 16.0k millions2017: 16.8k millions2018: 17.1k millions2019: 17.6k millions

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 17,644 millions for government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ in 2019. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 31.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ in South Africa peaked at 17,644 millions in 2019 and was at its lowest, 9,715 millions, in 2003.

South Africa ranks 16th of 133 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Government expenditure on primary education, constant PPP$ (millions) in South Africa, 1999 to 2019.
Year millions Change
1999 11,141 millions
2000 10,791 millions -3.1%
2001 10,268 millions -4.8%
2002 10,330 millions +0.6%
2003 9,715 millions -6.0%
2004 10,108 millions +4.1%
2005 11,210 millions +10.9%
2006 12,418 millions +10.8%
2007 12,056 millions -2.9%
2008 11,969 millions -0.7%
2009 13,440 millions +12.3%
2010 14,906 millions +10.9%
2011 15,264 millions +2.4%
2012 16,606 millions +8.8%
2014 16,045 millions -3.4%
2017 16,824 millions +4.9%
2018 17,129 millions +1.8%
2019 17,644 millions +3.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11,141 millions 11,141 millions 11,141 millions 1
2000s 11,231 millions 9,715 millions 13,440 millions 10
2010s 16,346 millions 14,906 millions 17,644 millions 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 13 Spain 20,879 millions compare
  2. 14 Australia 20,501 millions compare
  3. 15 Thailand 18,233 millions compare
  4. 17 Argentina 16,777 millions compare
  5. 18 Poland 16,482 millions compare
  6. 19 Iran, Islamic Republic of 15,132 millions compare

See the full ranking of 133 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ in South Africa?
Government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ in South Africa was 17,644 millions in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 17,644 millions in 2019.
What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 9,715 millions in 2003.
How does South Africa rank for government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$?
South Africa ranks 16th out of 133 countries with data for 2019.
Is government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 31.3%. 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 primary education, constant PPP$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on primary education, constant PPP$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
133 places, 1,899 data points, 1990–2019
Last refreshed

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