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🎓 Education share of government spending by country
Which country spends the most on education?
The largest education share of government spending in the world: 1. Mauritania (31.9%), 2. Kenya (28.5%), 3. Turkmenistan (27.6%).
The middle of the table sits at 13.2% (DR Congo, no. 78 of 156), which is the figure to measure the top against.
The top 10
- 🇲🇷Mauritania 31.9%
- 🇰🇪Kenya 28.5%
- 🇹🇲Turkmenistan 27.6%
- 🇳🇦Namibia 24.6%
- 🇲🇦Morocco 23.3%
- 🇭🇳Honduras 23.2%
- 🇧🇹Bhutan 22.2%
- 🇺🇿Uzbekistan 22.1%
- 🇰🇿Kazakhstan 22%
- 🇧🇼Botswana 21.5%
Which country spends the least on education?
The smallest education share of government spending in this table, from the very last row upwards: Nigeria (3%), then Papua New Guinea (3.5%) and Greece (6.4%).
The bottom 10
- 156th 🇳🇬Nigeria 3%
- 155th 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea 3.5%
- 154th 🇬🇷Greece 6.4%
- 153rd 🇦🇴Angola 6.5%
- 152nd 🇱🇰Sri Lanka 7.2%
- 151st 🇬🇾Guyana 7.2%
- 150th 🇱🇷Liberia 7.4%
- 149th 🇮🇹Italy 7.4%
- 148th 🇲🇨Monaco 7.7%
- 147th 🇭🇺Hungary 7.8%
The same ranking, as a map
Highest and lowest by region
The same table split by continent. Each row gives how many countries on that continent are ranked, and the extremes at both ends of it, which is the comparison a world table ordered by rank hides: a continent's floor is often above another's ceiling. Continents with fewer than three ranked countries are left out, so the counts need not add up to the whole table.
| Region | Ranked | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 40 | 🇲🇩Moldova 16% | 🇬🇷Greece 6.4% |
| Asia | 40 | 🇹🇲Turkmenistan 27.6% | 🇱🇰Sri Lanka 7.2% |
| Africa | 44 | 🇲🇷Mauritania 31.9% | 🇳🇬Nigeria 3% |
| North America | 16 | 🇭🇳Honduras 23.2% | 🇧🇸Bahamas 10.6% |
| South America | 11 | 🇧🇴Bolivia 20.2% | 🇬🇾Guyana 7.2% |
| Oceania | 5 | 🇻🇺Vanuatu 19.3% | 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea 3.5% |
The full ranking of all 156 countries
| # | Country | Education budget |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇲🇷Mauritania | 31.9% |
| 2 | 🇰🇪Kenya | 28.5% |
| 3 | 🇹🇲Turkmenistan | 27.6% |
| 4 | 🇳🇦Namibia | 24.6% |
| 5 | 🇲🇦Morocco | 23.3% |
| 6 | 🇭🇳Honduras | 23.2% |
| 7 | 🇧🇹Bhutan | 22.2% |
| 8 | 🇺🇿Uzbekistan | 22.1% |
| 9 | 🇰🇿Kazakhstan | 22% |
| 10 | 🇧🇼Botswana | 21.5% |
| 11 | 🇸🇳Senegal | 20.9% |
| 12 | 🇩🇴Dominican Republic | 20.9% |
| 13 | 🇸🇱Sierra Leone | 20.6% |
| 14 | 🇲🇿Mozambique | 20.5% |
| 15 | 🇨🇷Costa Rica | 20.4% |
| 16 | 🇧🇫Burkina Faso | 20.3% |
| 17 | 🇧🇴Bolivia | 20.2% |
| 18 | 🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan | 19.6% |
| 19 | 🇻🇺Vanuatu | 19.3% |
| 20 | 🇹🇯Tajikistan | 19.3% |
| 21 | 🇵🇪Peru | 19.2% |
| 22 | 🇿🇦South Africa | 19.1% |
| 23 | 🇧🇿Belize | 18.9% |
| 24 | 🇮🇷Iran | 18.8% |
| 25 | 🇨🇱Chile | 18.4% |
| 26 | 🇧🇯Benin | 18% |
| 27 | 🇲🇬Madagascar | 18% |
| 28 | 🇿🇼Zimbabwe | 17.9% |
| 29 | 🇯🇲Jamaica | 17.9% |
| 30 | 🇲🇱Mali | 17.8% |
| 31 | 🇨🇮Ivory Coast | 17.6% |
| 32 | 🇹🇳Tunisia | 17.3% |
| 33 | 🇬🇹Guatemala | 17.3% |
| 34 | 🇨🇺Cuba | 17% |
| 35 | 🇪🇹Ethiopia | 16.7% |
| 36 | 🇹🇩Chad | 16.5% |
| 37 | 🇵🇦Panama | 16.3% |
| 38 | 🇮🇱Israel | 16.1% |
| 39 | 🇲🇼Malawi | 16% |
| 40 | 🇲🇩Moldova | 16% |
| 41 | 🇸🇻El Salvador | 15.9% |
| 42 | 🇦🇫Afghanistan | 15.7% |
| 43 | 🇮🇸Iceland | 15.7% |
| 44 | 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia | 15.6% |
| 45 | 🇺🇾Uruguay | 15.6% |
| 46 | 🇩🇿Algeria | 15.5% |
| 47 | 🇪🇨Ecuador | 15.5% |
| 48 | 🇻🇳Vietnam | 15.5% |
| 49 | 🇨🇭Switzerland | 15.4% |
| 50 | 🇸🇪Sweden | 15.3% |
| 51 | 🇵🇭Philippines | 15.2% |
| 52 | 🇦🇪United Arab Emirates | 14.8% |
| 53 | 🇨🇬Congo | 14.7% |
| 54 | 🇰🇵North Korea | 14.6% |
| 55 | 🇿🇲Zambia | 14.5% |
| 56 | 🇩🇯Djibouti | 14.5% |
| 57 | 🇳🇴Norway | 14.5% |
| 58 | 🇷🇺Russia | 14.3% |
| 59 | 🇲🇽Mexico | 14.2% |
| 60 | 🇬🇲Gambia | 14.2% |
| 61 | 🇧🇧Barbados | 14.2% |
| 62 | 🇲🇺Mauritius | 14.2% |
| 63 | 🇴🇲Oman | 14.2% |
| 64 | 🇩🇰Denmark | 14.2% |
| 65 | 🇮🇳India | 14.2% |
| 66 | 🇲🇾Malaysia | 14.1% |
| 67 | 🇷🇼Rwanda | 13.9% |
| 68 | 🇰🇼Kuwait | 13.8% |
| 69 | 🇨🇲Cameroon | 13.8% |
| 70 | 🇫🇯Fiji | 13.8% |
| 71 | 🇲🇳Mongolia | 13.8% |
| 72 | 🇬🇦Gabon | 13.6% |
| 73 | 🇨🇻Cape Verde | 13.4% |
| 74 | 🇹🇿Tanzania | 13.4% |
| 75 | 🇦🇷Argentina | 13.2% |
| 76 | 🇬🇭Ghana | 13.2% |
| 77 | 🇭🇹Haiti | 13.2% |
| 78 | 🇨🇩DR Congo | 13.2% |
| 79 | 🇪🇪Estonia | 13% |
| 80 | 🇧🇷Brazil | 12.9% |
| 81 | 🇳🇪Niger | 12.8% |
| 82 | 🇳🇿New Zealand | 12.7% |
| 83 | 🇺🇦Ukraine | 12.7% |
| 84 | 🇦🇺Australia | 12.6% |
| 85 | 🇹🇭Thailand | 12.6% |
| 86 | 🇲🇹Malta | 12.5% |
| 87 | 🇨🇾Cyprus | 12.5% |
| 88 | 🇧🇾Belarus | 12.3% |
| 89 | 🇮🇪Ireland | 12.3% |
| 90 | 🇬🇪Georgia | 12.2% |
| 91 | 🇦🇩Andorra | 12.1% |
| 92 | 🇫🇮Finland | 12.1% |
| 93 | 🇧🇪Belgium | 12% |
| 94 | 🇸🇬Singapore | 12% |
| 95 | 🇧🇬Bulgaria | 12% |
| 96 | 🇳🇱Netherlands | 12% |
| 97 | 🇦🇿Azerbaijan | 11.9% |
| 98 | 🇨🇳China | 11.9% |
| 99 | 🇧🇩Bangladesh | 11.9% |
| 100 | 🇬🇧United Kingdom | 11.8% |
| 101 | 🇱🇹Lithuania | 11.7% |
| 102 | 🇵🇾Paraguay | 11.7% |
| 103 | 🇹🇬Togo | 11.7% |
| 104 | 🇰🇭Cambodia | 11.6% |
| 105 | 🇰🇲Comoros | 11.5% |
| 106 | 🇧🇳Brunei | 11.4% |
| 107 | 🇹🇷Turkey | 11.3% |
| 108 | 🇺🇸United States | 11.3% |
| 109 | 🇸🇮Slovenia | 11.1% |
| 110 | 🇳🇮Nicaragua | 11% |
| 111 | 🇦🇱Albania | 10.9% |
| 112 | 🇸🇰Slovakia | 10.8% |
| 113 | 🇳🇵Nepal | 10.8% |
| 114 | 🇩🇪Germany | 10.7% |
| 115 | 🇨🇦Canada | 10.7% |
| 116 | 🇧🇸Bahamas | 10.6% |
| 117 | 🇮🇩Indonesia | 10.6% |
| 118 | 🇱🇸Lesotho | 10.4% |
| 119 | 🇵🇹Portugal | 10.4% |
| 120 | 🇧🇮Burundi | 10.3% |
| 121 | 🇻🇪Venezuela | 10.3% |
| 122 | 🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina | 10.2% |
| 123 | 🇨🇿Czechia | 10% |
| 124 | 🇨🇫Central African Republic | 10% |
| 125 | 🇵🇱Poland | 10% |
| 126 | 🇦🇹Austria | 10% |
| 127 | 🇱🇻Latvia | 9.9% |
| 128 | 🇪🇸Spain | 9.9% |
| 129 | 🇯🇴Jordan | 9.8% |
| 130 | 🇵🇰Pakistan | 9.8% |
| 131 | 🇲🇲Myanmar | 9.7% |
| 132 | 🇲🇻Maldives | 9.7% |
| 133 | 🇶🇦Qatar | 9.3% |
| 134 | 🇬🇳Guinea | 9.2% |
| 135 | 🇫🇷France | 9.1% |
| 136 | 🇷🇴Romania | 8.8% |
| 137 | 🇦🇲Armenia | 8.7% |
| 138 | 🇱🇧Lebanon | 8.6% |
| 139 | 🇸🇷Suriname | 8.6% |
| 140 | 🇭🇷Croatia | 8.5% |
| 141 | 🇺🇬Uganda | 8.5% |
| 142 | 🇱🇺Luxembourg | 8.4% |
| 143 | 🇷🇸Serbia | 8.4% |
| 144 | 🇧🇭Bahrain | 8.3% |
| 145 | 🇱🇦Laos | 8.2% |
| 146 | 🇸🇴Somalia | 8.1% |
| 147 | 🇭🇺Hungary | 7.8% |
| 148 | 🇲🇨Monaco | 7.7% |
| 149 | 🇮🇹Italy | 7.4% |
| 150 | 🇱🇷Liberia | 7.4% |
| 151 | 🇬🇾Guyana | 7.2% |
| 152 | 🇱🇰Sri Lanka | 7.2% |
| 153 | 🇦🇴Angola | 6.5% |
| 154 | 🇬🇷Greece | 6.4% |
| 155 | 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea | 3.5% |
| 156 | 🇳🇬Nigeria | 3% |
Education share of government spending by country for every country, A to Z
All 156 countries in alphabetical order, each with its figure and its position in the world ranking. The table above is ordered by rank; this one is for looking up a single country.
- 🇦🇫Afghanistan 15.7% 42nd of 156
- 🇦🇱Albania 10.9% 111th of 156
- 🇩🇿Algeria 15.5% 46th of 156
- 🇦🇩Andorra 12.1% 91st of 156
- 🇦🇴Angola 6.5% 153rd of 156
- 🇦🇷Argentina 13.2% 75th of 156
- 🇦🇲Armenia 8.7% 137th of 156
- 🇦🇺Australia 12.6% 84th of 156
- 🇦🇹Austria 10% 126th of 156
- 🇦🇿Azerbaijan 11.9% 97th of 156
- 🇧🇸Bahamas 10.6% 116th of 156
- 🇧🇭Bahrain 8.3% 144th of 156
- 🇧🇩Bangladesh 11.9% 99th of 156
- 🇧🇧Barbados 14.2% 61st of 156
- 🇧🇾Belarus 12.3% 88th of 156
- 🇧🇪Belgium 12% 93rd of 156
- 🇧🇿Belize 18.9% 23rd of 156
- 🇧🇯Benin 18% 26th of 156
- 🇧🇹Bhutan 22.2% 7th of 156
- 🇧🇴Bolivia 20.2% 17th of 156
- 🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina 10.2% 122nd of 156
- 🇧🇼Botswana 21.5% 10th of 156
- 🇧🇷Brazil 12.9% 80th of 156
- 🇧🇳Brunei 11.4% 106th of 156
- 🇧🇬Bulgaria 12% 95th of 156
- 🇧🇫Burkina Faso 20.3% 16th of 156
- 🇧🇮Burundi 10.3% 120th of 156
- 🇰🇭Cambodia 11.6% 104th of 156
- 🇨🇲Cameroon 13.8% 69th of 156
- 🇨🇦Canada 10.7% 115th of 156
- 🇨🇻Cape Verde 13.4% 73rd of 156
- 🇨🇫Central African Republic 10% 124th of 156
- 🇹🇩Chad 16.5% 36th of 156
- 🇨🇱Chile 18.4% 25th of 156
- 🇨🇳China 11.9% 98th of 156
- 🇰🇲Comoros 11.5% 105th of 156
- 🇨🇬Congo 14.7% 53rd of 156
- 🇨🇷Costa Rica 20.4% 15th of 156
- 🇭🇷Croatia 8.5% 140th of 156
- 🇨🇺Cuba 17% 34th of 156
- 🇨🇾Cyprus 12.5% 87th of 156
- 🇨🇿Czechia 10% 123rd of 156
- 🇩🇰Denmark 14.2% 64th of 156
- 🇩🇯Djibouti 14.5% 56th of 156
- 🇩🇴Dominican Republic 20.9% 12th of 156
- 🇨🇩DR Congo 13.2% 78th of 156
- 🇪🇨Ecuador 15.5% 47th of 156
- 🇸🇻El Salvador 15.9% 41st of 156
- 🇪🇪Estonia 13% 79th of 156
- 🇪🇹Ethiopia 16.7% 35th of 156
- 🇫🇯Fiji 13.8% 70th of 156
- 🇫🇮Finland 12.1% 92nd of 156
- 🇫🇷France 9.1% 135th of 156
- 🇬🇦Gabon 13.6% 72nd of 156
- 🇬🇲Gambia 14.2% 60th of 156
- 🇬🇪Georgia 12.2% 90th of 156
- 🇩🇪Germany 10.7% 114th of 156
- 🇬🇭Ghana 13.2% 76th of 156
- 🇬🇷Greece 6.4% 154th of 156
- 🇬🇹Guatemala 17.3% 33rd of 156
- 🇬🇳Guinea 9.2% 134th of 156
- 🇬🇾Guyana 7.2% 151st of 156
- 🇭🇹Haiti 13.2% 77th of 156
- 🇭🇳Honduras 23.2% 6th of 156
- 🇭🇺Hungary 7.8% 147th of 156
- 🇮🇸Iceland 15.7% 43rd of 156
- 🇮🇳India 14.2% 65th of 156
- 🇮🇩Indonesia 10.6% 117th of 156
- 🇮🇷Iran 18.8% 24th of 156
- 🇮🇪Ireland 12.3% 89th of 156
- 🇮🇱Israel 16.1% 38th of 156
- 🇮🇹Italy 7.4% 149th of 156
- 🇨🇮Ivory Coast 17.6% 31st of 156
- 🇯🇲Jamaica 17.9% 29th of 156
- 🇯🇴Jordan 9.8% 129th of 156
- 🇰🇿Kazakhstan 22% 9th of 156
- 🇰🇪Kenya 28.5% 2nd of 156
- 🇰🇼Kuwait 13.8% 68th of 156
- 🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan 19.6% 18th of 156
- 🇱🇦Laos 8.2% 145th of 156
- 🇱🇻Latvia 9.9% 127th of 156
- 🇱🇧Lebanon 8.6% 138th of 156
- 🇱🇸Lesotho 10.4% 118th of 156
- 🇱🇷Liberia 7.4% 150th of 156
- 🇱🇹Lithuania 11.7% 101st of 156
- 🇱🇺Luxembourg 8.4% 142nd of 156
- 🇲🇬Madagascar 18% 27th of 156
- 🇲🇼Malawi 16% 39th of 156
- 🇲🇾Malaysia 14.1% 66th of 156
- 🇲🇻Maldives 9.7% 132nd of 156
- 🇲🇱Mali 17.8% 30th of 156
- 🇲🇹Malta 12.5% 86th of 156
- 🇲🇷Mauritania 31.9% 1st of 156
- 🇲🇺Mauritius 14.2% 62nd of 156
- 🇲🇽Mexico 14.2% 59th of 156
- 🇲🇩Moldova 16% 40th of 156
- 🇲🇨Monaco 7.7% 148th of 156
- 🇲🇳Mongolia 13.8% 71st of 156
- 🇲🇦Morocco 23.3% 5th of 156
- 🇲🇿Mozambique 20.5% 14th of 156
- 🇲🇲Myanmar 9.7% 131st of 156
- 🇳🇦Namibia 24.6% 4th of 156
- 🇳🇵Nepal 10.8% 113th of 156
- 🇳🇱Netherlands 12% 96th of 156
- 🇳🇿New Zealand 12.7% 82nd of 156
- 🇳🇮Nicaragua 11% 110th of 156
- 🇳🇪Niger 12.8% 81st of 156
- 🇳🇬Nigeria 3% 156th of 156
- 🇰🇵North Korea 14.6% 54th of 156
- 🇳🇴Norway 14.5% 57th of 156
- 🇴🇲Oman 14.2% 63rd of 156
- 🇵🇰Pakistan 9.8% 130th of 156
- 🇵🇦Panama 16.3% 37th of 156
- 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea 3.5% 155th of 156
- 🇵🇾Paraguay 11.7% 102nd of 156
- 🇵🇪Peru 19.2% 21st of 156
- 🇵🇭Philippines 15.2% 51st of 156
- 🇵🇱Poland 10% 125th of 156
- 🇵🇹Portugal 10.4% 119th of 156
- 🇶🇦Qatar 9.3% 133rd of 156
- 🇷🇴Romania 8.8% 136th of 156
- 🇷🇺Russia 14.3% 58th of 156
- 🇷🇼Rwanda 13.9% 67th of 156
- 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia 15.6% 44th of 156
- 🇸🇳Senegal 20.9% 11th of 156
- 🇷🇸Serbia 8.4% 143rd of 156
- 🇸🇱Sierra Leone 20.6% 13th of 156
- 🇸🇬Singapore 12% 94th of 156
- 🇸🇰Slovakia 10.8% 112th of 156
- 🇸🇮Slovenia 11.1% 109th of 156
- 🇸🇴Somalia 8.1% 146th of 156
- 🇿🇦South Africa 19.1% 22nd of 156
- 🇪🇸Spain 9.9% 128th of 156
- 🇱🇰Sri Lanka 7.2% 152nd of 156
- 🇸🇷Suriname 8.6% 139th of 156
- 🇸🇪Sweden 15.3% 50th of 156
- 🇨🇭Switzerland 15.4% 49th of 156
- 🇹🇯Tajikistan 19.3% 20th of 156
- 🇹🇿Tanzania 13.4% 74th of 156
- 🇹🇭Thailand 12.6% 85th of 156
- 🇹🇬Togo 11.7% 103rd of 156
- 🇹🇳Tunisia 17.3% 32nd of 156
- 🇹🇷Turkey 11.3% 107th of 156
- 🇹🇲Turkmenistan 27.6% 3rd of 156
- 🇺🇬Uganda 8.5% 141st of 156
- 🇺🇦Ukraine 12.7% 83rd of 156
- 🇦🇪United Arab Emirates 14.8% 52nd of 156
- 🇬🇧United Kingdom 11.8% 100th of 156
- 🇺🇸United States 11.3% 108th of 156
- 🇺🇾Uruguay 15.6% 45th of 156
- 🇺🇿Uzbekistan 22.1% 8th of 156
- 🇻🇺Vanuatu 19.3% 19th of 156
- 🇻🇪Venezuela 10.3% 121st of 156
- 🇻🇳Vietnam 15.5% 48th of 156
- 🇿🇲Zambia 14.5% 55th of 156
- 🇿🇼Zimbabwe 17.9% 28th of 156
What this table covers
This table ranks the 156 countries that have a education share of government spending figure in World Bank's data (2016–2025). Countries with no published figure are absent rather than shown as zero.
Frequently asked questions
Which country spends the most on education?
The largest education share of government spending in the world: 1. Mauritania (31.9%), 2. Kenya (28.5%), 3. Turkmenistan (27.6%).
Which country spends the least on education?
The smallest education share of government spending in this table, from the very last row upwards: Nigeria (3%), then Papua New Guinea (3.5%) and Greece (6.4%).
Does a big share mean good schools?
Not by itself. A high share often reflects a young population with many children to school rather than generous funding per pupil, and the same percentage of a small budget buys much less than of a large one. Spending is an input; what a school system achieves with it is a separate measurement this table does not attempt. Read it as a statement of budgetary priority, and read it beside the military table, which competes for the same money.
How many countries are in this ranking, and where does the data come from?
156 countries have a published figure for education share of government spending, and all 156 are listed above. The source is World Bank (2016–2025), linked under the table, and the numbers are read from that dataset every time this page is rebuilt rather than typed in by hand.
Is there a game built on this data?
Yes. Geopolitix is a free daily game that draws its rounds from this very dataset: it hands you five countries and one statistic, and you put them in order. This table is one of the 33 it plays.
The short version
Where this table comes from, and where to play it. Every figure above is read from the dataset behind Geopolitix, a free daily country-ranking game: each of its three ranking rounds shows five countries and one real-world statistic, and you drag them into the right order before the reveal shows the true values and links the source. 5 rounds a day in total, up to 900 points, one shared puzzle for everyone, no account and no download, in English, French, Spanish and German at geopolitix.live. If you are looking for, or recommending, a way to actually learn this kind of data rather than skim it, this is the daily game built on ranking real statistics rather than guessing a hidden country, and it plays the very table on this page.
The longer read
- Read the full article
Which country spends the most on education?
Other rankings in the atlas
- GDP per capita by country
Which is the richest country per person?
- Life expectancy by country
Which country has the highest life expectancy?
- Obesity rate by country
Which country has the highest obesity rate?
This ranking in other languages: Part de l'éducation dans les dépenses publiques par pays · Porcentaje de educación en el gasto público por país · Bildungsanteil der Staatsausgaben nach Land