Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Egypt
Egypt: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.8% in 2008. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Egypt, 1971–2008
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 Egypt is 3.8%, measured in 2008.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and down 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Egypt peaked at 5.6% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 2007.
That places Egypt 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2008, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Egypt, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.5% | — |
| 1972 | 4.5% | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 5.2% | +15.2% |
| 1975 | 4.9% | -6.4% |
| 1976 | 4.9% | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 4.5% | -8.0% |
| 1978 | 4.9% | +8.6% |
| 1980 | 4.3% | -13.4% |
| 1982 | 5.6% | +31.0% |
| 1983 | 5.2% | -6.9% |
| 1988 | 4.5% | -13.3% |
| 1989 | 4.6% | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 4.1% | -11.9% |
| 1993 | 4.2% | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 4.6% | +9.2% |
| 1995 | 4.6% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 4.7% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 4.9% | +5.9% |
| 2004 | 4.7% | -5.6% |
| 2005 | 4.8% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 4.0% | -16.5% |
| 2007 | 3.7% | -7.9% |
| 2008 | 3.8% | +2.1% |
Egypt compared with similar countries
- Egypt's 3.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 93% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Egypt's 3.8% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.4%, 86% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.8% | 4.5% | 5.2% | 7 |
| 1980s | 4.8% | 4.3% | 5.6% | 5 |
| 1990s | 4.4% | 4.1% | 4.7% | 5 |
| 2000s | 4.3% | 3.7% | 4.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
- 112 Saint Lucia 3.8% compare
- 113 Hong Kong 3.8% compare
- 114 Hungary 3.8% compare
- 116 Dominican Republic 3.8% compare
- 117 Djibouti 3.8% compare
- 118 Luxembourg 3.7% compare
More reference data data for Egypt
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2851 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 16.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.956 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.4622 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 25.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 71.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 6.55 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Egypt?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Egypt was 3.8% in 2008, 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 Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 1982.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 2007.
- How does Egypt rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Egypt ranks 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2008.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Egypt 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.