Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong, China: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP was 1.3% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
1.3%
Change on year
up 35.8%
World rank
32nd
of 160 countries
All-time high
2.0%
in 2009
All-time low
0.1%
in 1982
Years of data
33
1971–2019

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Hong Kong, China, 1971–2019

00.511.521971199520191971: 0.582 %1972: 0.621 %1973: 0.448 %1974: 0.452 %1975: 0.562 %1976: 0.556 %1977: 0.534 %1978: 0.629 %1980: 0.698 %1981: 0.698 %1982: 0.051 %1983: 0.731 %1984: 0.722 %1985: 0.682 %1990: 0.783 %1992: 0.98 %1996: 1.1 %2004: 1.4 %2005: 1.2 %2006: 1.1 %2007: 1.1 %2008: 1 %2009: 2 %2010: 0.975 %2011: 0.979 %2012: 1.2 %2013: 1.5 %2014: 1 %2015: 0.963 %2016: 1 %2017: 0.943 %2018: 0.978 %2019: 1.3 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Hong Kong, China stood at 1.3%.

That represents a change of up 35.8% on the previous year and down 33.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Hong Kong, China peaked at 2.0% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1982.

That places Hong Kong, China 32nd out of 160 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Hong Kong, China, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%) in Hong Kong, China, 1971 to 2019.
Year % Change
1971 0.6%
1972 0.6% +6.7%
1973 0.4% -27.8%
1974 0.5% +0.8%
1975 0.6% +24.4%
1976 0.6% -1.1%
1977 0.5% -3.9%
1978 0.6% +17.7%
1980 0.7% +11.1%
1981 0.7% +0.0%
1982 0.1% -92.6%
1983 0.7% +1322.0%
1984 0.7% -1.3%
1985 0.7% -5.5%
1990 0.8% +14.8%
1992 1.0% +25.1%
1996 1.1% +11.4%
2004 1.4% +26.7%
2005 1.2% -15.3%
2006 1.1% -2.1%
2007 1.1% -7.7%
2008 1.0% -5.1%
2009 2.0% +98.7%
2010 1.0% -51.2%
2011 1.0% +0.5%
2012 1.2% +17.5%
2013 1.5% +27.0%
2014 1.0% -28.6%
2015 1.0% -7.8%
2016 1.0% +4.0%
2017 0.9% -5.9%
2018 1.0% +3.6%
2019 1.3% +35.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.5% 0.4% 0.6% 8
1980s 0.6% 0.1% 0.7% 6
1990s 1.0% 0.8% 1.1% 3
2000s 1.3% 1.0% 2.0% 6
2010s 1.1% 0.9% 1.5% 10

Countries ranked near Hong Kong, China

  1. 29 Chile 1.4% compare
  2. 30 Switzerland 1.4% compare
  3. 31 Ukraine 1.4% compare
  4. 33 Oman 1.3% compare
  5. 34 Australia 1.3% compare
  6. 35 Malta 1.3% compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Hong Kong, China

All data for Hong Kong, China →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Hong Kong, China?
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Hong Kong, China was 1.3% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Hong Kong, China?
The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 2009.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Hong Kong, China?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1982.
How does Hong Kong, China rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp?
Hong Kong, China ranks 32nd out of 160 countries with data for 2019.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp rising or falling in Hong Kong, China?
Over the last ten years it is down 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Hong Kong, China data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Hong Kong, China. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/hong-kong-sar-china/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
160 places, 3,221 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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