Initial government funding per lower secondary student as a percentage of GDP per capita by country

Total general (local, regional and central, current and capital) initial government funding of education per student, which includes transfers paid (such as scholarships to students), but excludes transfers received, in this case international transfers to government for education (when foreign donors provide...

Countries reporting
90
Highest
50.0%
Cuba
Lowest
0.0%
Namibia
Median
19.7%
Years covered
25
1995–2019
Data points
1,061

What the numbers show

Initial government funding per lower secondary student as a percentage of GDP per capita is currently reported for 90 countries. The highest value is 50.0% in Cuba; the lowest is 0.0% in Namibia.

The median across all reporting countries is 19.7%, and the mean is 18.4%.

Over the past decade 50 countries rose and 37 fell. The largest increase was in Gambia (up 181.7%), and the largest decrease in Namibia (down 100.0%).

Initial government funding per lower secondary student as a: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Cuba 50.0% 2010 up 64.2% rising
2 Cyprus 35.7% 2017 up 19.0% rising
3 Finland 32.3% 2017 up 21.3% rising
4 Portugal 31.7% 2017 up 20.3% rising
5 Eswatini 30.8% 2011 down 7.4% falling
6 Switzerland 30.7% 2017 up 38.6% rising
7 Ukraine 30.6% 2017 up 16.6% flat
8 Austria 30.3% 2017 up 17.8% rising
9 Jamaica 29.8% 2019 up 23.9% rising
10 Malta 29.3% 2017 down 2.2% rising
11 Iceland 27.8% 2017 up 17.9% rising
12 Slovenia 27.7% 2017 down 12.1% rising
13 Oman 26.8% 2019 up 82.9% rising
14 Morocco 25.6% 2009 down 26.6% falling
15 Czechia 25.1% 2017 up 27.5% rising
16 Bulgaria 25.1% 2017 up 24.8% rising
17 Viet Nam 24.9% 2013 up 42.9% rising
18 Japan 24.8% 2017 up 7.2% rising
19 Belize 24.8% 2018 up 23.1% rising
20 Denmark 24.5% 2017 up 5.6% flat
21 Sweden 24.1% 2017 up 0.5% rising
22 Belgium 23.5% 2017 flat
23 Republic of Moldova 23.1% 2018 down 1.6% flat
24 Italy 22.9% 2017 down 6.7% falling
25 Costa Rica 22.4% 2019 up 5.0% rising
26 Norway 22.4% 2017 up 14.1% flat
27 Germany 22.0% 2017 up 17.2% rising
28 Poland 22.0% 2017 up 2.6% rising
29 Latvia 21.8% 2017 up 10.4% rising
30 Malawi 21.7% 2016 up 64.4% rising
31 United States 21.6% 2017 flat
32 Kazakhstan 21.6% 2018 down 3.9% flat
33 New Zealand 21.5% 2017 flat
34 Thailand 21.4% 2013 up 88.2% rising
35 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 21.1% 2017 down 5.0% rising
36 Maldives 21.1% 2019 up 34.0% rising
37 Rwanda 21.0% 2018 down 26.1% falling
38 Brazil 20.6% 2017 up 3.7% rising
39 Dominica 20.5% 2019 up 96.4% rising
40 Senegal 20.5% 2015 up 74.0% rising
41 Chile 20.4% 2017 up 71.5% rising
42 Argentina 20.1% 2017 up 18.6% rising
43 Kuwait 19.8% 2011 down 0.6% falling
44 Spain 19.8% 2017 down 14.8% falling
45 Luxembourg 19.7% 2017 up 8.5% falling
46 Estonia 19.7% 2017 down 6.2% falling
47 Slovakia 18.9% 2017 up 60.8% rising
48 Saint Lucia 18.3% 2018 up 7.3% rising
49 Cameroon 18.0% 2013 down 24.4% falling
50 Australia 17.9% 2017 up 0.8% flat
51 Colombia 17.8% 2018 up 17.2% rising
52 Lithuania 17.0% 2017 down 2.2% falling
53 Hungary 16.6% 2017 down 27.6% flat
54 Uruguay 16.4% 2018 up 63.0% rising
55 Romania 16.0% 2017 up 0.1% rising
56 Sierra Leone 15.5% 2019 up 14.3% rising
57 El Salvador 15.1% 2018 up 39.9% rising
58 Syria 15.1% 2012 down 32.7% falling
59 Jordan 15.0% 2019 down 7.6% falling
60 Ethiopia 13.9% 2015 down 6.5% falling
61 Cambodia 13.7% 2014 up 122.3% rising
62 Liechtenstein 13.7% 2008 down 6.4% falling
63 Mongolia 13.4% 2017 down 3.2% rising
64 Andorra 13.4% 2019 up 20.8% rising
65 Iran 12.7% 2017 down 25.1% rising
66 Côte d'Ivoire 12.5% 2018 down 32.5% falling
67 Ghana 11.9% 2014 down 67.0% falling
68 Afghanistan 11.7% 2017 up 21.3% rising
69 Mexico 11.6% 2017 up 2.8% rising
70 Niger 11.2% 2017 down 67.2% falling
71 Dominican Republic 11.1% 2019 up 23.4% rising
72 Burkina Faso 10.9% 2016 down 49.5% falling
73 India 10.4% 2013 down 3.6% falling
74 Ireland 10.3% 2017 down 48.3% rising
75 Paraguay 10.1% 2016 up 52.5% falling
76 Bermuda 10.0% 2015 down 20.2% falling
77 Indonesia 9.6% 2015 up 7.5% flat
78 Lao People's Democratic Republic 9.5% 2014 up 64.6% rising
79 Nepal 9.5% 2015 up 1.5% falling
80 Gambia 9.4% 2015 up 181.7% rising
81 Philippines 8.7% 2008 down 5.1% falling
82 Ecuador 8.3% 2018 up 67.3% rising
83 Sri Lanka 7.1% 2018 down 18.4% rising
84 Madagascar 6.8% 2012 down 58.4% falling
85 Mali 6.3% 2017 down 68.8% falling
86 Guatemala 6.1% 2019 down 4.5% rising
87 Chad 5.3% 2018 down 61.8% falling
88 Monaco 3.3% 2016 down 18.0% falling
89 Turks and Caicos Islands 0.4% 2018 down 98.2% volatile
90 Namibia 0.0% 2017 down 100.0% volatile

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Initial government funding per lower secondary student as a by country. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/initial-government-funding-per-lower-secondary-student-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-per-capita/

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About this data

Indicator
Initial government funding per lower secondary student as a percentage of GDP per capita
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
90 places, 1,061 data points, 1995–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central, current and capital) initial government funding of education per student, which includes transfers paid (such as scholarships to students), but excludes transfers received, in this case international transfers to government for education (when foreign donors provide education sector budget support or other support integrated in the government budget). Calculation Method: Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure (current and capital) on a given level of education (primary, secondary, etc) minus international transfers to government for education, divided by the number of student enrolled at that level of education. This is then expressed as a share of GDP per capita. 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. There are also cases where it may not be possible to separate international transfers to government from general government expenditure on education, in which cases they have not been subtracted in the formula. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/