Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon
Lebanon: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 1.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon, 1993–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon stood at 1.2%. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 18.6% on the previous year and down 49.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon peaked at 2.8% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2024.
Lebanon ranks 194th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 1.7% | — |
| 1994 | 1.9% | +15.9% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | +15.2% |
| 1996 | 2.1% | -6.3% |
| 2001 | 2.8% | +36.3% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | -10.2% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -7.1% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | -22.0% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | -12.4% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -8.6% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 2.1% | +30.0% |
| 2013 | 2.4% | +13.3% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | -10.5% |
| 2017 | 2.2% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 2.6% | +18.1% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 2.4% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -45.3% |
| 2023 | 1.5% | +13.0% |
| 2024 | 1.2% | -18.6% |
Lebanon compared with similar countries
- Lebanon's 1.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 30% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lebanon's 1.2% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.4%, 28% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 4 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 8 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.6% | 2.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.2% | 2.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lebanon
More reference data data for Lebanon
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0413 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1892 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.3495 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0181 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.3495 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1386 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0543 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9479 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0986 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Lebanon was 1.2% 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 Lebanon?
- The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 2001.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Lebanon?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2024.
- How does Lebanon rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Lebanon ranks 194th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Lebanon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lebanon 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 — 24 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.