Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ in South Africa

South Africa: Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ was 4,176 millions in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
4,176 millions
Change on year
up 27.2%
World rank
32nd
of 158 countries
All-time high
4,176 millions
in 2019
All-time low
792.75 millions
in 2003
Years of data
28
1987–2019

Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ in South Africa, 1987–2019

1.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1987200320191987: 921.2 millions1988: 1.2k millions1989: 1.2k millions1990: 1.3k millions1991: 1.6k millions1993: 1.2k millions1994: 1.3k millions1996: 1.5k millions1999: 1.2k millions2000: 1.1k millions2001: 1.0k millions2002: 901.8 millions2003: 792.7 millions2004: 1.2k millions2005: 1.7k millions2006: 1.7k millions2007: 1.8k millions2008: 1.9k millions2009: 1.9k millions2010: 2.0k millions2011: 2.6k millions2012: 3.2k millions2013: 3.0k millions2014: 2.7k millions2015: 2.6k millions2017: 2.6k millions2018: 3.3k millions2019: 4.2k millions

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.

Analysis

In 2019, government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ in South Africa stood at 4,176 millions. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

That represents a change of up 27.2% on the previous year and up 121.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ in South Africa peaked at 4,176 millions in 2019 and was at its lowest, 792.75 millions, in 2003.

South Africa ranks 32nd of 158 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ (millions) in South Africa, 1987 to 2019.
Year millions Change
1987 921.21 millions
1988 1,186 millions +28.8%
1989 1,216 millions +2.5%
1990 1,346 millions +10.7%
1991 1,590 millions +18.1%
1993 1,235 millions -22.3%
1994 1,296 millions +5.0%
1996 1,479 millions +14.2%
1999 1,234 millions -16.6%
2000 1,082 millions -12.3%
2001 1,021 millions -5.6%
2002 901.79 millions -11.7%
2003 792.75 millions -12.1%
2004 1,184 millions +49.3%
2005 1,742 millions +47.2%
2006 1,680 millions -3.6%
2007 1,769 millions +5.3%
2008 1,895 millions +7.1%
2009 1,887 millions -0.5%
2010 2,011 millions +6.6%
2011 2,620 millions +30.3%
2012 3,161 millions +20.6%
2013 2,957 millions -6.4%
2014 2,703 millions -8.6%
2015 2,622 millions -3.0%
2017 2,602 millions -0.8%
2018 3,284 millions +26.2%
2019 4,176 millions +27.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1,108 millions 921.21 millions 1,216 millions 3
1990s 1,363 millions 1,234 millions 1,590 millions 6
2000s 1,395 millions 792.75 millions 1,895 millions 10
2010s 2,904 millions 2,011 millions 4,176 millions 9

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 29 Türkiye 4,847 millions compare
  2. 30 Hong Kong, China 4,803 millions compare
  3. 31 Finland 4,223 millions compare
  4. 33 Chile 3,791 millions compare
  5. 34 Colombia 3,467 millions compare
  6. 35 Malaysia 3,452 millions compare

See the full ranking of 158 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ in South Africa?
Government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ in South Africa was 4,176 millions in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 4,176 millions in 2019.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 792.75 millions in 2003.
How does South Africa rank for government expenditure on tertiary education, us$?
South Africa ranks 32nd out of 158 countries with data for 2019.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education, us$ rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 121.4%. 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, US$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ 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-us-millions/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education, US$ (millions)
Unit
millions
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
158 places, 3,257 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on tertiary education (current, capital, and transfers) in millions US$ (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 US$. 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/