Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Lesotho

Lesotho: Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP was 2.1% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
2.1%
World rank
29th
of 152 countries
All-time high
4.4%
in 1997
All-time low
1.1%
in 1973
Years of data
20
1971–2018

Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Lesotho, 1971–2018

12341971199420181971: 1.3 %1972: 1.2 %1973: 1.1 %1974: 1.3 %1983: 2.4 %1984: 2.4 %1985: 2.7 %1988: 2.2 %1989: 2 %1993: 2.4 %1994: 1.9 %1995: 3 %1997: 4.4 %1999: 2.7 %2000: 2.8 %2001: 2.2 %2005: 2.2 %2006: 2 %2008: 2.5 %2018: 2.1 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Lesotho is 2.1%, measured in 2018.

The figure is down 15.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Lesotho peaked at 4.4% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 1973.

Lesotho ranks 29th of 152 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.

Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%) in Lesotho, 1971 to 2018.
Year % Change
1971 1.3%
1972 1.2% -6.2%
1973 1.1% -5.2%
1974 1.3% +11.6%
1983 2.4% +85.6%
1984 2.4% +3.6%
1985 2.7% +12.5%
1988 2.2% -20.0%
1989 2.0% -8.1%
1993 2.4% +19.9%
1994 1.9% -19.7%
1995 3.0% +52.4%
1997 4.4% +48.4%
1999 2.7% -38.7%
2000 2.8% +3.5%
2001 2.2% -20.2%
2005 2.2% -0.9%
2006 2.0% -8.8%
2008 2.5% +23.2%
2018 2.1% -15.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.2% 1.1% 1.3% 4
1980s 2.4% 2.0% 2.7% 5
1990s 2.9% 1.9% 4.4% 5
2000s 2.3% 2.0% 2.8% 5
2010s 2.1% 2.1% 2.1% 1

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 26 Denmark 2.1% compare
  2. 27 Austria 2.1% compare
  3. 28 Iceland 2.1% compare
  4. 30 Netherlands 2.1% compare
  5. 31 Cape Verde 2.1% compare
  6. 32 Kazakhstan 2.0% compare

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Lesotho?
Government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp in Lesotho was 2.1% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 1997.
What is the lowest government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 1973.
How does Lesotho rank for government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp?
Lesotho ranks 29th out of 152 countries with data for 2018.
Is government expenditure on secondary education as % of gdp rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-secondary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on secondary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
152 places, 2,921 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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