Low-Income Countries Boost Education for the Sake of Everyone’s Future

In lower-income countries, there has been an increase in government spending on education at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, helping children have access to their fundamental human rights.

From 2018 to 2021, the percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) invested in education rose from 3.2% to 3.6%.

The latest Education Finance Watch report from the World Bank and UNESCO shared the encouraging news. Education is a key investment in human capital that can translate into economic growth. Indeed, returns to education, especially at higher education levels, are highest in low-income countries. Even though the improvement is still below the international benchmark of 4% of GDP, it is the first time that government spending on education accounts for more than half of all spending on education in lower-income countries.