Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Cuba
Cuba: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 8.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Cuba, 1980–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Cuba stood at 8.4%.
That represents a change of down 10.1% on the previous year and down 26.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Cuba peaked at 14.1% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 1994.
That places Cuba 6th out of 199 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Cuba, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.4% | — |
| 1991 | 7.1% | -14.6% |
| 1993 | 7.1% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 5.6% | -20.6% |
| 1998 | 6.2% | +10.5% |
| 1999 | 6.8% | +8.8% |
| 2000 | 7.7% | +14.1% |
| 2001 | 8.4% | +8.5% |
| 2002 | 9.6% | +14.5% |
| 2003 | 9.9% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 10.3% | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 10.6% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 9.1% | -14.2% |
| 2007 | 11.9% | +31.0% |
| 2008 | 14.1% | +18.5% |
| 2009 | 13.1% | -6.6% |
| 2010 | 12.8% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 11.6% | -10.0% |
| 2013 | 10.7% | -7.6% |
| 2014 | 9.6% | -10.0% |
| 2015 | 9.0% | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 9.0% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 8.4% | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 8.0% | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 9.0% | +12.7% |
| 2020 | 11.5% | +27.4% |
| 2021 | 9.4% | -18.6% |
| 2022 | 8.4% | -10.1% |
Cuba compared with similar countries
- Cuba's 8.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.2%, 2.0× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Cuba's 8.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.1%, 2.1× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.4% | 8.4% | 8.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 6.6% | 5.6% | 7.1% | 5 |
| 2000s | 10.5% | 7.7% | 14.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.8% | 8.0% | 12.8% | 9 |
| 2020s | 9.8% | 8.4% | 11.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Cuba
- 3 Micronesia (country) 11.6% compare
- 4 Namibia 9.1% compare
- 5 Algeria 9.0% compare
- 7 Solomon Islands 8.3% compare
- 8 Botswana 8.1% compare
- 9 Marshall Islands 7.7% compare
More education data for Cuba
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 78,576 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 4,635 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 171,121 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 162,406 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 662,491 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 698,052 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -3.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2020)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0636 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Cuba?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Cuba was 8.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Cuba?
- The highest recorded value was 14.1% in 2008.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Cuba?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 1994.
- How does Cuba rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Cuba ranks 6th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Cuba?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cuba data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.