Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 2.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ethiopia, 1971–2024
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 Ethiopia is 2.3%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 21.5% on the previous year and down 50.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ethiopia peaked at 5.6% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 1971.
That places Ethiopia 173rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.2% | — |
| 1972 | 1.3% | +9.7% |
| 1977 | 2.2% | +64.3% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | -10.4% |
| 1979 | 2.0% | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | -9.4% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 2.1% | +10.9% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | +9.0% |
| 1984 | 2.1% | -8.3% |
| 1985 | 2.3% | +10.7% |
| 1986 | 2.1% | -8.5% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +10.1% |
| 1996 | 2.7% | +17.9% |
| 1997 | 2.7% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 3.9% | +44.4% |
| 2001 | 3.7% | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 3.6% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 5.5% | +51.2% |
| 2007 | 5.5% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 5.4% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 4.4% | -18.2% |
| 2010 | 4.5% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 5.5% | +22.0% |
| 2012 | 5.6% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 4.5% | -19.2% |
| 2014 | 4.6% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 4.7% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 5.1% | +6.8% |
| 2017 | 5.5% | +8.6% |
| 2018 | 5.2% | -5.1% |
| 2019 | 4.5% | -14.2% |
| 2020 | 4.1% | -8.7% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | -8.1% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -21.7% |
| 2024 | 2.3% | -21.5% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 2.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 2.8%, 82% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 2.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.2%, 72% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.2% | 2.2% | 5 |
| 1980s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 7 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.7% | 3 |
| 2000s | 4.6% | 3.6% | 5.5% | 7 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 4.5% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.4% | 2.3% | 4.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More reference data data for Ethiopia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6564 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 20.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 25.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 25.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 100.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.79 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.47 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ethiopia?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ethiopia was 2.3% in 2024, 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 2012.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 1971.
- How does Ethiopia rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Ethiopia ranks 173rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.