Countries by Education Spending (% GDP)
Complete ranking of 185 countries • % of GDP • Data refreshed May 28, 2026
Leader
Kiribati
Field size
185 countries
Lowest rank
Somalia
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About Education Spending Rankings
Kiribati leads all 185 countries in Education Spending with a value of 16.39% of GDP, while Somalia ranks last at 0% of GDP. The gap between top and bottom reflects meaningful global variation.
What Education Spending Measures
Government education spending as a share of GDP, from World Bank Open Data.
Why This Ranking Matters
Examining Education Spending across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.
Global Range
Values range from 0% of GDP (Somalia) to 16.39% of GDP (Kiribati) — an infinitely large difference across 185 countries.
Regional Patterns
The top 20 is globally diverse, with countries from 6 continents represented. No single region dominates, suggesting this metric is driven more by national conditions than by broad continental patterns.
Values are tightly clustered around the median of 4.09% of GDP, with most countries falling within a narrow range. A few outliers at the extremes account for most of the overall spread.
Notable Outliers
Kiribati holds a significant lead over Tuvalu, with a 28% gap between first and second place. While several countries cluster near the top, the leader's margin is notable.
Continental Leaders
Highest Education Spending
The 5 strongest Education Spending reads.
Lowest Education Spending
The 5 lowest Education Spending reads.
Data Note
Rankings are based on the latest available data from World Bank Open Data, covering 185 of 249 countries and territories. Countries without data for this metric are excluded from the ranking. All values represent the most recently reported figures.