Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Uganda

Uganda: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP was 0.3% in 2014. ▼ Falling

Latest (2014)
0.3%
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
137th
of 160 countries
All-time high
1.0%
in 1974
All-time low
0.2%
in 2010
Years of data
17
1971–2014

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Uganda, 1971–2014

0.20.40.60.811971199220141971: 0.732 %1973: 0.839 %1974: 0.96 %1975: 0.726 %1976: 0.576 %1982: 0.446 %1983: 0.294 %1984: 0.528 %1985: 0.487 %1988: 0.688 %2004: 0.588 %2009: 0.347 %2010: 0.232 %2011: 0.245 %2012: 0.248 %2013: 0.305 %2014: 0.315 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Uganda recorded 0.3% for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in 2014.

The figure is up 3.2% on the previous year and down 46.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Uganda peaked at 1.0% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2010.

Uganda ranks 137th of 160 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%) in Uganda, 1971 to 2014.
Year % Change
1971 0.7%
1973 0.8% +14.6%
1974 1.0% +14.4%
1975 0.7% -24.4%
1976 0.6% -20.6%
1982 0.4% -22.5%
1983 0.3% -34.2%
1984 0.5% +79.8%
1985 0.5% -7.7%
1988 0.7% +41.2%
2004 0.6% -14.6%
2009 0.3% -41.0%
2010 0.2% -33.2%
2011 0.2% +5.7%
2012 0.2% +1.4%
2013 0.3% +22.7%
2014 0.3% +3.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.8% 0.6% 1.0% 5
1980s 0.5% 0.3% 0.7% 5
2000s 0.5% 0.3% 0.6% 2
2010s 0.3% 0.2% 0.3% 5

Countries ranked near Uganda

  1. 134 Zambia 0.3% compare
  2. 135 Mauritius 0.3% compare
  3. 136 El Salvador 0.3% compare
  4. 138 Timor-Leste 0.3% compare
  5. 139 Philippines 0.3% compare
  6. 140 Central African Republic 0.3% compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Uganda

All data for Uganda →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Uganda?
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Uganda was 0.3% in 2014, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Uganda?
The highest recorded value was 1.0% in 1974.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Uganda?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2010.
How does Uganda rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp?
Uganda ranks 137th out of 160 countries with data for 2014.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp rising or falling in Uganda?
Over the last ten years it is down 46.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Uganda 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 Uganda. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/uganda/

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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/