Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.3% in 2017. ▲ Rising
Latest (2017)
4.3%
Change on year
down 4.4%
World rank
90th
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.5%
in 2016
All-time low
2.6%
in 2012
Years of data
8
2010–2017
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Afghanistan, 2010–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Afghanistan is 4.3%, measured in 2017.
That represents a change of down 4.4% on the previous year and up 24.8% over ten years.
Afghanistan ranks 90th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3.5% | — |
| 2011 | 3.5% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | -24.8% |
| 2013 | 3.5% | +32.6% |
| 2014 | 3.7% | +7.0% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | -11.9% |
| 2016 | 4.5% | +39.6% |
| 2017 | 4.3% | -4.4% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 4.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.8%, 1.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 4.3% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.4%, 99% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More reference data data for Afghanistan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8991 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4362 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 6.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 18.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.38 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Afghanistan?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Afghanistan was 4.3% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 4.5% in 2016.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2012.
- How does Afghanistan rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Afghanistan ranks 90th out of 199 countries with data for 2017.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.