Countries by Education Spending (% GDP)

Complete ranking of 185 countries • % of GDP • Updated 2026

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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

Oceania

Kiribati

16.39% of GDP

Africa

Namibia

9.08% of GDP

North America

Cuba

8.44% of GDP

South America

Bolivia

8.32% of GDP

Europe

Sweden

7.32% of GDP

Asia

Kyrgyzstan

6.83% of GDP

Highest Education Spending

The 5 strongest Education Spending reads.

Kiribati16.39% of GDP Tuvalu12.85% of GDP Micronesia11.56% of GDP Namibia9.08% of GDP Cuba8.44% of GDP

Lowest Education Spending

The 5 lowest Education Spending reads.

Somalia0% of GDP Venezuela0.00% of GDP Nigeria0.32% of GDP Zimbabwe0.38% of GDP Papua New Guinea0.78% of GDP

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.

Top 10 Countries

1stKiribati16.39% of GDP

2ndTuvalu12.85% of GDP

3rdMicronesia11.56% of GDP

4thNamibia9.1% of GDP

5thCuba8.4% of GDP

6thBolivia8.3% of GDP

7thSolomon Islands8.3% of GDP

8thBotswana8.1% of GDP

9thMarshall Islands7.7% of GDP

10thVanuatu7.6% of GDP

Country Ladder

1stKiribatiOceania16.39% of GDP 2ndTuvaluOceania12.85% of GDP 3rdMicronesiaOceania11.56% of GDP 4thNamibiaAfrica9.1% of GDP 5thCubaNorth America8.4% of GDP 6thBoliviaSouth America8.3% of GDP 7thSolomon IslandsOceania8.3% of GDP 8thBotswanaAfrica8.1% of GDP 9thMarshall IslandsOceania7.7% of GDP 10thVanuatuOceania7.6% of GDP 11thSwedenEurope7.3% of GDP 12thIcelandEurope7.3% of GDP 13thKyrgyzstanAsia6.8% of GDP 14thTunisiaAfrica6.7% of GDP 15thMoldovaEurope6.6% of GDP 16thLesothoAfrica6.6% of GDP 17thSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesNorth America6.5% of GDP 18thKuwaitAsia6.4% of GDP 19thFinlandEurope6.4% of GDP 20thDenmarkEurope6.4% of GDP 21stBelgiumEurope6.3% of GDP 22ndCosta RicaNorth America6.2% of GDP 23rdSenegalAfrica6.2% of GDP 24thEswatiniAfrica6.0% of GDP 25thSouth AfricaAfrica6.0% of GDP 26thMoroccoAfrica6.0% of GDP 27thMozambiqueAfrica6.0% of GDP 28thIsraelAsia5.9% of GDP 29thUnited KingdomEurope5.9% of GDP 30thArgentinaSouth America5.9% of GDP 31stBhutanAsia5.8% of GDP 32ndSouth KoreaAsia5.8% of GDP 33rdNauruOceania5.7% of GDP 34thBrazilSouth America5.6% of GDP 35thAlgeriaAfrica5.6% of GDP 36thJamaicaNorth America5.5% of GDP 37thUzbekistanAsia5.5% of GDP 38thSamoaOceania5.5% of GDP 39thNorwayEurope5.5% of GDP 40thCuraçaoNorth America5.4% of GDP 41stTajikistanAsia5.4% of GDP 42ndPalestineAsia5.4% of GDP 43rdUnited StatesNorth America5.4% of GDP 44thDominicaNorth America5.4% of GDP 45thBurkina FasoAfrica5.3% of GDP 46thFranceEurope5.3% of GDP 47thTongaOceania5.3% of GDP 48thSloveniaEurope5.3% of GDP 49thAustriaEurope5.3% of GDP 50thNew ZealandOceania5.3% of GDP 51stColombiaNorth America5.3% of GDP 52ndTimor-LesteAsia5.2% of GDP 53rdGermanyEurope5.2% of GDP 54thEstoniaEurope5.2% of GDP 55thNetherlandsEurope5.2% of GDP 56thMaldivesAsia5.2% of GDP 57thUkraineEurope5.1% of GDP 58thGrenadaNorth America5.1% of GDP 59thSaudi ArabiaAsia5.1% of GDP 60thAustraliaOceania5.1% of GDP 61stSao Tome and PrincipeAfrica5.0% of GDP 62ndBelarusEurope5.0% of GDP 63rdSwitzerlandEurope4.9% of GDP 64thChileSouth America4.9% of GDP 65thCanadaNorth America4.9% of GDP 66thBurundiAfrica4.9% of GDP 67thKazakhstanAsia4.8% of GDP 68thUruguaySouth America4.8% of GDP 69thCyprusEurope4.7% of GDP 70thMaltaEurope4.7% of GDP 71stMauritaniaAfrica4.7% of GDP 72ndRwandaAfrica4.7% of GDP 73rdSlovakiaEurope4.7% of GDP 74thBelizeNorth America4.6% of GDP 75thSpainEurope4.6% of GDP 76thPortugalEurope4.6% of GDP 77thHondurasNorth America4.5% of GDP 78thBulgariaEurope4.5% of GDP 79thSeychellesAfrica4.5% of GDP 80thCabo VerdeAfrica4.3% of GDP 81stLatviaEurope4.3% of GDP 82ndPolandEurope4.3% of GDP 83rdCzechiaEurope4.3% of GDP 84thOmanAsia4.3% of GDP 85thPuerto RicoNorth America4.3% of GDP 86thLithuaniaEurope4.3% of GDP 87thFijiOceania4.2% of GDP 88thPeruSouth America4.2% of GDP 89thMaliAfrica4.2% of GDP 90thRussiaEurope4.2% of GDP 91stTogoAfrica4.1% of GDP 92ndIndiaAsia4.1% of GDP 93rdCroatiaEurope4.1% of GDP 94thMauritiusAfrica4.1% of GDP 95thNigerAfrica4.1% of GDP 96thZambiaAfrica4.1% of GDP 97thItalyEurope4.1% of GDP 98thMexicoNorth America4.1% of GDP 99thKenyaAfrica4.0% of GDP 100thChinaAsia4.0% of GDP 101stGeorgiaEurope4.0% of GDP 102ndPhilippinesAsia3.9% of GDP 103rdSint MaartenNorth America3.9% of GDP 104thUnited Arab EmiratesAsia3.9% of GDP 105thEcuadorSouth America3.9% of GDP 106thSaint LuciaNorth America3.8% of GDP 107thHungaryEurope3.8% of GDP 108thHong KongAsia3.8% of GDP 109thDominican RepublicNorth America3.8% of GDP 110thLuxembourgEurope3.7% of GDP 111stNepalAsia3.7% of GDP 112ndAzerbaijanEurope3.7% of GDP 113rdMongoliaAsia3.7% of GDP 114thArubaNorth America3.6% of GDP 115thBarbadosNorth America3.6% of GDP 116thPalauOceania3.5% of GDP 117thJordanAsia3.5% of GDP 118thMalaysiaAsia3.5% of GDP 119thMacaoAsia3.5% of GDP 120thSaint Kitts and NevisNorth America3.5% of GDP 121stCôte d'IvoireAfrica3.4% of GDP 122ndParaguaySouth America3.4% of GDP 123rdSerbiaEurope3.4% of GDP 124thGreeceEurope3.4% of GDP 125thCongoAfrica3.3% of GDP 126thJapanAsia3.3% of GDP 127thRomaniaEurope3.3% of GDP 128thBosnia and HerzegovinaEurope3.2% of GDP 129thQatarAsia3.2% of GDP 130thBeninAfrica3.2% of GDP 131stChadAfrica3.2% of GDP 132ndBritish Virgin IslandsNorth America3.2% of GDP 133rdEl SalvadorNorth America3.2% of GDP 134thTanzaniaAfrica3.2% of GDP 135thGuatemalaNorth America3.1% of GDP 136thAntigua and BarbudaNorth America3.1% of GDP 137thTurkeyEurope3.1% of GDP 138thAlbaniaEurope3.1% of GDP 139thMadagascarAfrica3.0% of GDP 140thTrinidad and TobagoNorth America3.0% of GDP 141stTurks and Caicos IslandsNorth America3.0% of GDP 142ndGhanaAfrica2.9% of GDP 143rdIrelandEurope2.9% of GDP 144thSan MarinoEurope2.9% of GDP 145thVietnamAsia2.9% of GDP 146thSurinameNorth America2.9% of GDP 147thNicaraguaNorth America2.9% of GDP 148thCongo, Democratic RepublicAfrica2.8% of GDP 149thCameroonAfrica2.8% of GDP 150thIranAsia2.8% of GDP 151stGambiaAfrica2.8% of GDP 152ndMalawiAfrica2.7% of GDP 153rdBahamasNorth America2.7% of GDP 154thTurkmenistanAsia2.7% of GDP 155thSierra LeoneAfrica2.6% of GDP 156thUgandaAfrica2.6% of GDP 157thThailandAsia2.5% of GDP 158thAngolaAfrica2.5% of GDP 159thPanamaNorth America2.5% of GDP 160thArmeniaEurope2.4% of GDP 161stComorosAfrica2.3% of GDP 162ndGabonAfrica2.3% of GDP 163rdEthiopiaAfrica2.3% of GDP 164thLiberiaAfrica2.3% of GDP 165thSingaporeAsia2.2% of GDP 166thCambodiaAsia2.2% of GDP 167thBangladeshAsia2.0% of GDP 168thPakistanAsia1.9% of GDP 169thAndorraEurope1.9% of GDP 170thBahrainAsia1.9% of GDP 171stBermudaNorth America1.9% of GDP 172ndCentral African RepublicAfrica1.8% of GDP 173rdSri LankaAsia1.8% of GDP 174thMonacoEurope1.7% of GDP 175thGuineaAfrica1.7% of GDP 176thCayman IslandsNorth America1.6% of GDP 177thIndonesiaAsia1.3% of GDP 178thLaosAsia1.2% of GDP 179thLebanonAsia1.2% of GDP 180thHaitiNorth America0.96% of GDP 181stPapua New GuineaOceania0.78% of GDP 182ndZimbabweAfrica0.38% of GDP 183rdNigeriaAfrica0.32% of GDP 184thVenezuelaNorth America0.00% of GDP 185thSomaliaAfrica0% of GDP

Education Spending (% GDP) ranking for 185 countries
				Percentile
1st	Kiribati	16.39% of GDP	Oceania	100%
2nd	Tuvalu	12.85% of GDP	Oceania	99%
3rd	Micronesia	11.56% of GDP	Oceania	99%
4th	Namibia	9.1% of GDP	Africa	98%
5th	Cuba	8.4% of GDP	North America	98%
6th	Bolivia	8.3% of GDP	South America	97%
7th	Solomon Islands	8.3% of GDP	Oceania	97%
8th	Botswana	8.1% of GDP	Africa	96%
9th	Marshall Islands	7.7% of GDP	Oceania	96%
10th	Vanuatu	7.6% of GDP	Oceania	95%
11th	Sweden	7.3% of GDP	Europe	95%
12th	Iceland	7.3% of GDP	Europe	94%
13th	Kyrgyzstan	6.8% of GDP	Asia	94%
14th	Tunisia	6.7% of GDP	Africa	93%
15th	Moldova	6.6% of GDP	Europe	92%
16th	Lesotho	6.6% of GDP	Africa	92%
17th	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	6.5% of GDP	North America	91%
18th	Kuwait	6.4% of GDP	Asia	91%
19th	Finland	6.4% of GDP	Europe	90%
20th	Denmark	6.4% of GDP	Europe	90%
21st	Belgium	6.3% of GDP	Europe	89%
22nd	Costa Rica	6.2% of GDP	North America	89%
23rd	Senegal	6.2% of GDP	Africa	88%
24th	Eswatini	6.0% of GDP	Africa	88%
25th	South Africa	6.0% of GDP	Africa	87%
26th	Morocco	6.0% of GDP	Africa	86%
27th	Mozambique	6.0% of GDP	Africa	86%
28th	Israel	5.9% of GDP	Asia	85%
29th	United Kingdom	5.9% of GDP	Europe	85%
30th	Argentina	5.9% of GDP	South America	84%
31st	Bhutan	5.8% of GDP	Asia	84%
32nd	South Korea	5.8% of GDP	Asia	83%
33rd	Nauru	5.7% of GDP	Oceania	83%
34th	Brazil	5.6% of GDP	South America	82%
35th	Algeria	5.6% of GDP	Africa	82%
36th	Jamaica	5.5% of GDP	North America	81%
37th	Uzbekistan	5.5% of GDP	Asia	81%
38th	Samoa	5.5% of GDP	Oceania	80%
39th	Norway	5.5% of GDP	Europe	79%
40th	Curaçao	5.4% of GDP	North America	79%
41st	Tajikistan	5.4% of GDP	Asia	78%
42nd	Palestine	5.4% of GDP	Asia	78%
43rd	United States	5.4% of GDP	North America	77%
44th	Dominica	5.4% of GDP	North America	77%
45th	Burkina Faso	5.3% of GDP	Africa	76%
46th	France	5.3% of GDP	Europe	76%
47th	Tonga	5.3% of GDP	Oceania	75%
48th	Slovenia	5.3% of GDP	Europe	75%
49th	Austria	5.3% of GDP	Europe	74%
50th	New Zealand	5.3% of GDP	Oceania	74%
51st	Colombia	5.3% of GDP	North America	73%
52nd	Timor-Leste	5.2% of GDP	Asia	72%
53rd	Germany	5.2% of GDP	Europe	72%
54th	Estonia	5.2% of GDP	Europe	71%
55th	Netherlands	5.2% of GDP	Europe	71%
56th	Maldives	5.2% of GDP	Asia	70%
57th	Ukraine	5.1% of GDP	Europe	70%
58th	Grenada	5.1% of GDP	North America	69%
59th	Saudi Arabia	5.1% of GDP	Asia	69%
60th	Australia	5.1% of GDP	Oceania	68%
61st	Sao Tome and Principe	5.0% of GDP	Africa	68%
62nd	Belarus	5.0% of GDP	Europe	67%
63rd	Switzerland	4.9% of GDP	Europe	66%
64th	Chile	4.9% of GDP	South America	66%
65th	Canada	4.9% of GDP	North America	65%
66th	Burundi	4.9% of GDP	Africa	65%
67th	Kazakhstan	4.8% of GDP	Asia	64%
68th	Uruguay	4.8% of GDP	South America	64%
69th	Cyprus	4.7% of GDP	Europe	63%
70th	Malta	4.7% of GDP	Europe	63%
71st	Mauritania	4.7% of GDP	Africa	62%
72nd	Rwanda	4.7% of GDP	Africa	62%
73rd	Slovakia	4.7% of GDP	Europe	61%
74th	Belize	4.6% of GDP	North America	61%
75th	Spain	4.6% of GDP	Europe	60%
76th	Portugal	4.6% of GDP	Europe	59%
77th	Honduras	4.5% of GDP	North America	59%
78th	Bulgaria	4.5% of GDP	Europe	58%
79th	Seychelles	4.5% of GDP	Africa	58%
80th	Cabo Verde	4.3% of GDP	Africa	57%
81st	Latvia	4.3% of GDP	Europe	57%
82nd	Poland	4.3% of GDP	Europe	56%
83rd	Czechia	4.3% of GDP	Europe	56%
84th	Oman	4.3% of GDP	Asia	55%
85th	Puerto Rico	4.3% of GDP	North America	55%
86th	Lithuania	4.3% of GDP	Europe	54%
87th	Fiji	4.2% of GDP	Oceania	54%
88th	Peru	4.2% of GDP	South America	53%
89th	Mali	4.2% of GDP	Africa	52%
90th	Russia	4.2% of GDP	Europe	52%
91st	Togo	4.1% of GDP	Africa	51%
92nd	India	4.1% of GDP	Asia	51%
93rd	Croatia	4.1% of GDP	Europe	50%
94th	Mauritius	4.1% of GDP	Africa	50%
95th	Niger	4.1% of GDP	Africa	49%
96th	Zambia	4.1% of GDP	Africa	49%
97th	Italy	4.1% of GDP	Europe	48%
98th	Mexico	4.1% of GDP	North America	48%
99th	Kenya	4.0% of GDP	Africa	47%
100th	China	4.0% of GDP	Asia	46%
101st	Georgia	4.0% of GDP	Europe	46%
102nd	Philippines	3.9% of GDP	Asia	45%
103rd	Sint Maarten	3.9% of GDP	North America	45%
104th	United Arab Emirates	3.9% of GDP	Asia	44%
105th	Ecuador	3.9% of GDP	South America	44%
106th	Saint Lucia	3.8% of GDP	North America	43%
107th	Hungary	3.8% of GDP	Europe	43%
108th	Hong Kong	3.8% of GDP	Asia	42%
109th	Dominican Republic	3.8% of GDP	North America	42%
110th	Luxembourg	3.7% of GDP	Europe	41%
111st	Nepal	3.7% of GDP	Asia	41%
112nd	Azerbaijan	3.7% of GDP	Europe	40%
113rd	Mongolia	3.7% of GDP	Asia	39%
114th	Aruba	3.6% of GDP	North America	39%
115th	Barbados	3.6% of GDP	North America	38%
116th	Palau	3.5% of GDP	Oceania	38%
117th	Jordan	3.5% of GDP	Asia	37%
118th	Malaysia	3.5% of GDP	Asia	37%
119th	Macao	3.5% of GDP	Asia	36%
120th	Saint Kitts and Nevis	3.5% of GDP	North America	36%
121st	Côte d'Ivoire	3.4% of GDP	Africa	35%
122nd	Paraguay	3.4% of GDP	South America	35%
123rd	Serbia	3.4% of GDP	Europe	34%
124th	Greece	3.4% of GDP	Europe	34%
125th	Congo	3.3% of GDP	Africa	33%
126th	Japan	3.3% of GDP	Asia	32%
127th	Romania	3.3% of GDP	Europe	32%
128th	Bosnia and Herzegovina	3.2% of GDP	Europe	31%
129th	Qatar	3.2% of GDP	Asia	31%
130th	Benin	3.2% of GDP	Africa	30%
131st	Chad	3.2% of GDP	Africa	30%
132nd	British Virgin Islands	3.2% of GDP	North America	29%
133rd	El Salvador	3.2% of GDP	North America	29%
134th	Tanzania	3.2% of GDP	Africa	28%
135th	Guatemala	3.1% of GDP	North America	28%
136th	Antigua and Barbuda	3.1% of GDP	North America	27%
137th	Turkey	3.1% of GDP	Europe	26%
138th	Albania	3.1% of GDP	Europe	26%
139th	Madagascar	3.0% of GDP	Africa	25%
140th	Trinidad and Tobago	3.0% of GDP	North America	25%
141st	Turks and Caicos Islands	3.0% of GDP	North America	24%
142nd	Ghana	2.9% of GDP	Africa	24%
143rd	Ireland	2.9% of GDP	Europe	23%
144th	San Marino	2.9% of GDP	Europe	23%
145th	Vietnam	2.9% of GDP	Asia	22%
146th	Suriname	2.9% of GDP	North America	22%
147th	Nicaragua	2.9% of GDP	North America	21%
148th	Congo, Democratic Republic	2.8% of GDP	Africa	21%
149th	Cameroon	2.8% of GDP	Africa	20%
150th	Iran	2.8% of GDP	Asia	19%
151st	Gambia	2.8% of GDP	Africa	19%
152nd	Malawi	2.7% of GDP	Africa	18%
153rd	Bahamas	2.7% of GDP	North America	18%
154th	Turkmenistan	2.7% of GDP	Asia	17%
155th	Sierra Leone	2.6% of GDP	Africa	17%
156th	Uganda	2.6% of GDP	Africa	16%
157th	Thailand	2.5% of GDP	Asia	16%
158th	Angola	2.5% of GDP	Africa	15%
159th	Panama	2.5% of GDP	North America	15%
160th	Armenia	2.4% of GDP	Europe	14%
161st	Comoros	2.3% of GDP	Africa	14%
162nd	Gabon	2.3% of GDP	Africa	13%
163rd	Ethiopia	2.3% of GDP	Africa	12%
164th	Liberia	2.3% of GDP	Africa	12%
165th	Singapore	2.2% of GDP	Asia	11%
166th	Cambodia	2.2% of GDP	Asia	11%
167th	Bangladesh	2.0% of GDP	Asia	10%
168th	Pakistan	1.9% of GDP	Asia	10%
169th	Andorra	1.9% of GDP	Europe	9%
170th	Bahrain	1.9% of GDP	Asia	9%
171st	Bermuda	1.9% of GDP	North America	8%
172nd	Central African Republic	1.8% of GDP	Africa	8%
173rd	Sri Lanka	1.8% of GDP	Asia	7%
174th	Monaco	1.7% of GDP	Europe	6%
175th	Guinea	1.7% of GDP	Africa	6%
176th	Cayman Islands	1.6% of GDP	North America	5%
177th	Indonesia	1.3% of GDP	Asia	5%
178th	Laos	1.2% of GDP	Asia	4%
179th	Lebanon	1.2% of GDP	Asia	4%
180th	Haiti	0.96% of GDP	North America	3%
181st	Papua New Guinea	0.78% of GDP	Oceania	3%
182nd	Zimbabwe	0.38% of GDP	Africa	2%
183rd	Nigeria	0.32% of GDP	Africa	2%
184th	Venezuela	0.00% of GDP	North America	1%
185th	Somalia	0% of GDP	Africa	1%

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