Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Tunisia
Tunisia: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 6.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Tunisia, 1980–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Tunisia stood at 6.7%.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and up 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Tunisia peaked at 7.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 1981.
Tunisia ranks 18th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Tunisia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 5.2% | — |
| 1981 | 4.9% | -6.6% |
| 1982 | 5.3% | +8.1% |
| 1983 | 5.5% | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 5.5% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 5.5% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 5.9% | +6.1% |
| 1990 | 5.8% | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 6.0% | +4.1% |
| 1992 | 5.8% | -4.5% |
| 1993 | 6.0% | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 6.2% | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 6.4% | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 6.3% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 6.7% | +6.2% |
| 1999 | 6.3% | -6.1% |
| 2000 | 6.2% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 6.2% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 5.8% | -6.6% |
| 2003 | 6.8% | +17.7% |
| 2004 | 6.7% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 6.4% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 6.5% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 6.3% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 6.5% | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 6.0% | -8.7% |
| 2012 | 6.0% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 6.2% | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 6.2% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 7.3% | +17.7% |
| 2021 | 6.7% | -8.1% |
| 2022 | 6.8% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 6.7% | -1.0% |
Tunisia compared with similar countries
- Tunisia's 6.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Tunisia's 6.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.4%, 1.5× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.4% | 4.9% | 5.9% | 7 |
| 1990s | 6.2% | 5.8% | 6.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.4% | 5.8% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.1% | 6.0% | 6.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 6.7% | 7.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Tunisia
- 15 Montserrat 7.2% compare
- 16 Venezuela 6.9% compare
- 17 Kyrgyzstan 6.8% compare
- 19 Lesotho 6.6% compare
- 20 Moldova 6.6% compare
- 21 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6.5% compare
More reference data data for Tunisia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.148 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1317 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4961 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1849 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7169 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Tunisia?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Tunisia was 6.7% 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 Tunisia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Tunisia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 1981.
- How does Tunisia rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Tunisia ranks 18th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Tunisia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tunisia 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.