Government expenditure on primary education, PPP$ in South Africa

South Africa: Government expenditure on primary education, PPP$ was 18,220 millions in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
18,220 millions
Change on year
up 5.4%
World rank
15th
of 134 countries
All-time high
18,220 millions
in 2019
All-time low
7,780 millions
in 2003
Years of data
18
1999–2019

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

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k1999200920191999: 8.3k millions2000: 8.1k millions2001: 7.9k millions2002: 8.1k millions2003: 7.8k millions2004: 8.2k millions2005: 9.4k millions2006: 10.7k millions2007: 10.7k millions2008: 10.9k millions2009: 12.5k millions2010: 14.0k millions2011: 14.5k millions2012: 16.1k millions2014: 15.7k millions2017: 16.8k millions2018: 17.3k millions2019: 18.2k millions

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.

Analysis

In 2019, government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ in South Africa stood at 18,220 millions. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

The figure is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 45.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ in South Africa peaked at 18,220 millions in 2019 and was at its lowest, 7,780 millions, in 2003.

That places South Africa 15th out of 134 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.

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

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

Annual values for Government expenditure on primary education, PPP$ (millions) in South Africa, 1999 to 2019.
Year millions Change
1999 8,287 millions
2000 8,143 millions -1.7%
2001 7,922 millions -2.7%
2002 8,144 millions +2.8%
2003 7,780 millions -4.5%
2004 8,246 millions +6.0%
2005 9,390 millions +13.9%
2006 10,726 millions +14.2%
2007 10,729 millions +0.0%
2008 10,937 millions +1.9%
2009 12,521 millions +14.5%
2010 13,993 millions +11.8%
2011 14,496 millions +3.6%
2012 16,099 millions +11.1%
2014 15,681 millions -2.6%
2017 16,824 millions +7.3%
2018 17,281 millions +2.7%
2019 18,220 millions +5.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 8,287 millions 8,287 millions 8,287 millions 1
2000s 9,454 millions 7,780 millions 12,521 millions 10
2010s 16,085 millions 13,993 millions 18,220 millions 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 12 Spain 20,879 millions compare
  2. 13 Australia 20,501 millions compare
  3. 14 China 20,461 millions
  4. 16 Thailand 17,799 millions compare
  5. 17 Argentina 16,777 millions compare
  6. 18 Poland 16,482 millions compare

See the full ranking of 134 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ in South Africa?
Government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ in South Africa was 18,220 millions in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 18,220 millions in 2019.
What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 7,780 millions in 2003.
How does South Africa rank for government expenditure on primary education, ppp$?
South Africa ranks 15th out of 134 countries with data for 2019.
Is government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 45.5%. 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, PPP$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on primary education, 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-ppp-millions/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on primary education, PPP$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
134 places, 1,910 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 nominal value. 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$. 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/