Education, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this in South Africa

South Africa: Education, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this was 0.4725 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.4725
Change on year
up 4.6%
World rank
41st
of 60 countries
All-time high
0.4725
in 2020
All-time low
0.1955
in 2002
Years of data
19
2001–2020

Education, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this in South Africa, 2001–2020

00.10.20.30.40.52001201020202001: 0.2262002: 0.1962003: 0.2622004: 0.262005: 0.292006: 0.3262008: 0.3092009: 0.2782010: 0.3292011: 0.3382012: 0.3512013: 0.3632014: 0.3682015: 0.3812016: 0.282017: 0.3952018: 0.4432019: 0.4522020: 0.472

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

In 2020, education, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this in South Africa stood at 0.4725. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.

That represents a change of up 4.6% on the previous year and up 43.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, education, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this in South Africa peaked at 0.4725 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.1955, in 2002.

South Africa ranks 41st of 60 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Education, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Education, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this item to total general government expenditure on this, Percent (Central government) in South Africa, 2001 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2001 0.2256
2002 0.1955 -13.3%
2003 0.2619 +34.0%
2004 0.2599 -0.8%
2005 0.29 +11.6%
2006 0.3258 +12.3%
2008 0.3094 -5.0%
2009 0.278 -10.2%
2010 0.3287 +18.2%
2011 0.3382 +2.9%
2012 0.3514 +3.9%
2013 0.3626 +3.2%
2014 0.3678 +1.4%
2015 0.3809 +3.6%
2016 0.2797 -26.6%
2017 0.3946 +41.1%
2018 0.4433 +12.4%
2019 0.4517 +1.9%
2020 0.4725 +4.6%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.4725 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.8385, 56% of the median. (19 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.2683 0.1955 0.3258 8
2010s 0.3699 0.2797 0.4517 10
2020s 0.4725 0.4725 0.4725 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 38 Finland 0.5714 compare
  2. 39 Australia 0.57 compare
  3. 40 Slovakia 0.496 compare
  4. 42 United Arab Emirates 0.4535 compare
  5. 43 Iceland 0.3542 compare
  6. 44 Lithuania 0.3506 compare

See the full ranking of 60 places →

More public sector data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is education, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this in South Africa?
Education, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this in South Africa was 0.4725 in 2020, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest education, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.4725 in 2020.
What is the lowest education, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1955 in 2002.
How does South Africa rank for education, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this?
South Africa ranks 41st out of 60 countries with data for 2020.
Is education, ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 43.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Education, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this item to total general government expenditure on this, Percent (Central government). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Education, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/education-ratio-of-this-level-of-government-s-expenditure-on-this-item-to-total-general/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Education, Ratio of this level of government's expenditure on this item to total general government expenditure on this, Percent (Central government)
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
60 places, 1,212 data points, 1990–2020
Last refreshed

The Fiscal Decentralization dataset includes fiscal decentralization indicators for a sample of IMF member countries. The following indicators are included in the dataset: Revenue and Expenditure Decentralization Shares; Transfer dependency and Vertical Fiscal Imbalances; Deficit and Debt; Allocation of expenditure (economic classification); Allocation of expenditure (functional classification); Allocation of non-Tax Revenues; and Allocation of Taxes.