Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 1.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sri Lanka, 1973–2023
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 Sri Lanka is 1.8%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 51.8% on the previous year and up 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.3% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2022.
Sri Lanka ranks 187th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 3.3% | — |
| 1975 | 2.7% | -17.2% |
| 1979 | 2.6% | -6.5% |
| 1980 | 2.7% | +5.3% |
| 1981 | 2.4% | -9.7% |
| 1982 | 2.6% | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 2.4% | -6.6% |
| 1984 | 2.2% | -9.4% |
| 1985 | 2.6% | +19.0% |
| 1986 | 2.8% | +8.9% |
| 1987 | 2.6% | -5.7% |
| 1988 | 2.8% | +6.9% |
| 1989 | 2.8% | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 2.4% | -12.5% |
| 1991 | 2.9% | +20.9% |
| 1994 | 3.1% | +6.6% |
| 1995 | 3.0% | -4.9% |
| 1996 | 3.3% | +13.1% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | -8.7% |
| 2009 | 2.1% | -32.6% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | -19.2% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 1.5% | -16.6% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | +7.6% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | +18.8% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | +13.5% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | +53.0% |
| 2017 | 2.6% | -19.7% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | -23.3% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | -21.6% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | -20.1% |
| 2023 | 1.8% | +51.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.2%, 43% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 1.8% is below the median for South Asia, which is 3.9%, 47% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.9% | 2.6% | 3.3% | 3 |
| 1980s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.0% | 2.4% | 3.3% | 6 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 1.5% | 3.2% | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1784 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.539 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1604 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9713 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sri Lanka?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1996.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2022.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Sri Lanka ranks 187th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.