Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in South Africa

South Africa: Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP was 18.6% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
18.6%
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
38th
of 122 countries
All-time high
19.0%
in 2012
All-time low
12.5%
in 2003
Years of data
18
1999–2019

Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in South Africa, 1999–2019

051015201999200920191999: 14.42000: 142001: 13.82002: 13.72003: 12.52004: 12.82005: 13.82006: 152007: 14.12008: 13.32009: 14.82010: 17.22011: 17.62012: 192014: 17.82017: 17.62018: 17.92019: 18.6

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in South Africa is 18.6%, measured in 2019.

The figure is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 25.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in South Africa peaked at 19.0% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 12.5%, in 2003.

South Africa ranks 38th of 122 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita in South Africa, 1999 to 2019.
Year Value Change
1999 14.4%
2000 14.0% -3.2%
2001 13.8% -1.3%
2002 13.7% -0.3%
2003 12.5% -8.8%
2004 12.8% +2.3%
2005 13.8% +7.7%
2006 15.0% +8.4%
2007 14.1% -6.1%
2008 13.3% -5.3%
2009 14.8% +11.5%
2010 17.2% +15.9%
2011 17.6% +2.3%
2012 19.0% +8.0%
2014 17.8% -6.2%
2017 17.6% -1.0%
2018 17.9% +1.7%
2019 18.6% +3.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 14.4% 14.4% 14.4% 1
2000s 13.8% 12.5% 15.0% 10
2010s 18.0% 17.2% 19.0% 7

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 35 Morocco 19.5% compare
  2. 36 Estonia 19.1% compare
  3. 37 Australia 18.9% compare
  4. 39 Chile 18.4% compare
  5. 40 Lithuania 18.1% compare
  6. 41 Liechtenstein 17.8% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in South Africa?
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp in South Africa was 18.6% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 19.0% in 2012.
What is the lowest initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 12.5% in 2003.
How does South Africa rank for initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp?
South Africa ranks 38th out of 122 countries with data for 2019.
Is initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.4%. 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 Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/initial-government-funding-per-primary-student-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-per-capita/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Initial government funding per primary student as a percentage of GDP per capita
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 1,518 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/