Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP was 1.4% in 1998. ▼ Falling

Latest (1998)
1.4%
Change on year
up 46.0%
World rank
27th
of 160 countries
All-time high
2.1%
in 1984
All-time low
1.0%
in 1996
Years of data
9
1981–1998

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Saudi Arabia, 1981–1998

00.511.521981198919981981: 1.4 %1982: 1.5 %1983: 2 %1984: 2.1 %1993: 1.3 %1994: 1.4 %1995: 1.1 %1996: 0.961 %1998: 1.4 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia recorded 1.4% for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in 1998.

The figure is up 46.0% on the previous year and down 32.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Saudi Arabia peaked at 2.1% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1996.

That places Saudi Arabia 27th out of 160 countries with data for 1998, putting it in the top quarter.

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Saudi Arabia, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%) in Saudi Arabia, 1981 to 1998.
Year % Change
1981 1.4%
1982 1.5% +5.3%
1983 2.0% +31.9%
1984 2.1% +5.6%
1993 1.3% -39.8%
1994 1.4% +10.0%
1995 1.1% -18.4%
1996 1.0% -14.8%
1998 1.4% +46.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.7% 1.4% 2.1% 4
1990s 1.2% 1.0% 1.4% 5

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 24 Burundi 1.5% compare
  2. 25 Belgium 1.5% compare
  3. 26 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.4% compare
  4. 28 Iceland 1.4% compare
  5. 29 Chile 1.4% compare
  6. 30 Switzerland 1.4% compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Saudi Arabia?
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Saudi Arabia was 1.4% in 1998, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 1984.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1996.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp?
Saudi Arabia ranks 27th out of 160 countries with data for 1998.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is down 32.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/saudi-arabia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/saudi-arabia/">Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Saudi Arabia</a> — Statizoid

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/