Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Central African Republic
Central African Republic: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 1.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Central African Republic, 1978–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Central African Republic recorded 1.8% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2023.
The figure is down 13.5% on the previous year and down 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Central African Republic peaked at 3.2% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2011.
Central African Republic ranks 186th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Central African Republic, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 3.2% | — |
| 1986 | 2.2% | -30.4% |
| 1987 | 2.5% | +15.4% |
| 1990 | 2.2% | -11.9% |
| 1991 | 2.3% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | -25.8% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 1.5% | -5.8% |
| 2003 | 1.5% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 1.6% | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -14.4% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | -7.2% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 1.3% | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -10.9% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 2.0% | +78.7% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | +33.2% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | -15.8% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -14.0% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | -8.2% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -10.7% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | +12.9% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | +21.3% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | -12.7% |
| 2022 | 2.1% | +13.0% |
| 2023 | 1.8% | -13.5% |
Central African Republic compared with similar countries
- Central African Republic's 1.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 2.8%, 65% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Central African Republic's 1.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.2%, 57% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Central African Republic changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +78.7% | 1.1% | 2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 1 |
| 1980s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.7% | 2.3% | 3 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.1% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Central African Republic
More reference data data for Central African Republic
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1959 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0271 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6569 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7203 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1476 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Central African Republic?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Central African Republic was 1.8% in 2023, 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 Central African Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 3.2% in 1978.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Central African Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2011.
- How does Central African Republic rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Central African Republic ranks 186th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Central African Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Central African Republic 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.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.