Government expenditure on tertiary education, PPP$ in South Africa

South Africa: Government expenditure on tertiary education, PPP$ was 8,471 millions in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
8,471 millions
Change on year
up 24.5%
World rank
25th
of 145 countries
All-time high
8,471 millions
in 2019
All-time low
2,221 millions
in 1993
Years of data
24
1991–2019

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

2.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k1991200520191991: 3.3k millions1993: 2.2k millions1994: 2.4k millions1996: 2.6k millions1999: 2.8k millions2000: 2.6k millions2001: 2.6k millions2002: 2.7k millions2003: 2.6k millions2004: 2.7k millions2005: 3.3k millions2006: 3.1k millions2007: 3.3k millions2008: 3.5k millions2009: 3.8k millions2010: 3.9k millions2011: 4.2k millions2012: 4.8k millions2013: 4.8k millions2014: 4.9k millions2015: 5.1k millions2017: 6.2k millions2018: 6.8k millions2019: 8.5k millions

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 8,471 millions for government expenditure on tertiary education, ppp$ in 2019. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of up 24.5% on the previous year and up 121.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education, ppp$ in South Africa peaked at 8,471 millions in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2,221 millions, in 1993.

That places South Africa 25th out of 145 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.

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

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

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education, PPP$ (millions) in South Africa, 1991 to 2019.
Year millions Change
1991 3,251 millions
1993 2,221 millions -31.7%
1994 2,420 millions +9.0%
1996 2,648 millions +9.4%
1999 2,807 millions +6.0%
2000 2,579 millions -8.1%
2001 2,597 millions +0.7%
2002 2,702 millions +4.0%
2003 2,633 millions -2.6%
2004 2,716 millions +3.2%
2005 3,292 millions +21.2%
2006 3,055 millions -7.2%
2007 3,322 millions +8.7%
2008 3,493 millions +5.1%
2009 3,819 millions +9.3%
2010 3,914 millions +2.5%
2011 4,191 millions +7.1%
2012 4,805 millions +14.6%
2013 4,754 millions -1.1%
2014 4,925 millions +3.6%
2015 5,104 millions +3.6%
2017 6,213 millions +21.7%
2018 6,802 millions +9.5%
2019 8,471 millions +24.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,669 millions 2,221 millions 3,251 millions 5
2000s 3,021 millions 2,579 millions 3,819 millions 10
2010s 5,464 millions 3,914 millions 8,471 millions 9

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 22 Saudi Arabia 10,967 millions compare
  2. 23 Sweden 9,521 millions compare
  3. 24 Malaysia 8,930 millions compare
  4. 26 Belgium 8,374 millions compare
  5. 27 Türkiye 8,216 millions compare
  6. 28 Austria 8,207 millions compare

See the full ranking of 145 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education, ppp$ in South Africa?
Government expenditure on tertiary education, ppp$ in South Africa was 8,471 millions in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education, ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 8,471 millions in 2019.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education, ppp$ recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2,221 millions in 1993.
How does South Africa rank for government expenditure on tertiary education, ppp$?
South Africa ranks 25th out of 145 countries with data for 2019.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education, ppp$ rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 121.8%. 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, PPP$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education, PPP$ in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-ppp-millions/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education, PPP$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
145 places, 2,109 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 nominal value. 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$. 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/