Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ in South Africa

South Africa: Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ was 8,203 millions in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
8,203 millions
Change on year
up 21.7%
World rank
28th
of 144 countries
All-time high
8,203 millions
in 2019
All-time low
3,288 millions
in 2003
Years of data
24
1991–2019

Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ in South Africa, 1991–2019

02.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k1991200520191991: 5.2k millions1993: 3.3k millions1994: 3.6k millions1996: 3.7k millions1999: 3.8k millions2000: 3.4k millions2001: 3.4k millions2002: 3.4k millions2003: 3.3k millions2004: 3.3k millions2005: 3.9k millions2006: 3.5k millions2007: 3.7k millions2008: 3.8k millions2009: 4.1k millions2010: 4.2k millions2011: 4.4k millions2012: 5.0k millions2013: 5.0k millions2014: 5.0k millions2015: 5.2k millions2017: 6.2k millions2018: 6.7k millions2019: 8.2k millions

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 8,203 millions for government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ in 2019. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.7% on the previous year and up 100.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ in South Africa peaked at 8,203 millions in 2019 and was at its lowest, 3,288 millions, in 2003.

South Africa ranks 28th of 144 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ (millions) in South Africa, 1991 to 2019.
Year millions Change
1991 5,167 millions
1993 3,338 millions -35.4%
1994 3,554 millions +6.5%
1996 3,729 millions +4.9%
1999 3,774 millions +1.2%
2000 3,418 millions -9.4%
2001 3,367 millions -1.5%
2002 3,427 millions +1.8%
2003 3,288 millions -4.1%
2004 3,330 millions +1.3%
2005 3,930 millions +18.0%
2006 3,537 millions -10.0%
2007 3,733 millions +5.5%
2008 3,823 millions +2.4%
2009 4,099 millions +7.2%
2010 4,169 millions +1.7%
2011 4,414 millions +5.9%
2012 4,956 millions +12.3%
2013 4,980 millions +0.5%
2014 5,039 millions +1.2%
2015 5,206 millions +3.3%
2017 6,213 millions +19.3%
2018 6,742 millions +8.5%
2019 8,203 millions +21.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3,913 millions 3,338 millions 5,167 millions 5
2000s 3,595 millions 3,288 millions 4,099 millions 10
2010s 5,547 millions 4,169 millions 8,203 millions 9

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 25 Malaysia 8,574 millions compare
  2. 26 Belgium 8,374 millions compare
  3. 27 Austria 8,207 millions compare
  4. 29 Denmark 7,788 millions compare
  5. 30 Egypt 7,755 millions compare
  6. 31 Switzerland 7,708 millions compare

See the full ranking of 144 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ in South Africa?
Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ in South Africa was 8,203 millions in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 8,203 millions in 2019.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 3,288 millions in 2003.
How does South Africa rank for government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$?
South Africa ranks 28th out of 144 countries with data for 2019.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education, constant ppp$ rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 100.1%. 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 tertiary education, constant PPP$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-constant-ppp-millions/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education, constant PPP$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
144 places, 2,101 data points, 1984–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on tertiary education (current, capital, and transfers), in millions PPP$ (at purchasing power parity) in constant value (taking into account inflation). 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$, and where it is expressed in constant value, uses a GDP deflator to account for inflation. The constant prices base year is normally three years before the year of the data release. For example, in the July 2017 data release, constant PPP$ values are expressed in 2014 prices. 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/