How five West African countries report education spending

A common reporting year establishes the comparison

In 2022, the education share of GDP was 5.95% in Senegal, 3.47% in Côte d’Ivoire, 3.10% in Benin, 2.91% in Ghana and 0.35% in Nigeria’s reported series. The figure uses 2022 because both measures have records for all five economies in that year. Later observations vary by series and country. Source 1 Source 2

The government budget is a different denominator

Education accounted for 16.49% of reported government expenditure in Senegal, 15.90% in Côte d’Ivoire, 14.99% in Benin, 13.18% in Ghana and 4.30% in Nigeria in 2022. Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire were only 0.59 percentage points apart on this budget measure, compared with 2.48 points on the GDP measure. The size of government spending relative to the economy can affect the difference between the two. Source 1 Source 2

Ghana’s history shows the two ratios moving at different speeds

Ghana recorded education spending at 4.43% of GDP and 23.81% of government expenditure in 2015. By 2022, the ratios stood at 2.91% and 13.18% respectively. Changes in either ratio reflect its denominator as well as education expenditure. The records give shares and cannot establish whether education spending fell in inflation-adjusted currency terms. Source 1 Source 2

Compare reporting scope before drawing fiscal conclusions

The UNESCO series is a published statistical record. Coverage of public spending and availability of fiscal accounts can vary by economy and year. Nigeria’s recorded values are particularly low in the table, so check the coverage of the underlying government accounts before using the gap to compare all public education funding. Neither ratio measures enrolment, attainment or spending per pupil. Source 1 Source 2

Sources

• UNESCO Institute for Statistics via World Bank, government education expenditure as share of GDP
• UNESCO Institute for Statistics via World Bank, government education expenditure as share of government expenditure