Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Guatemala
Guatemala: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 3.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Guatemala, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Guatemala stood at 3.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Guatemala peaked at 3.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1994.
Guatemala ranks 148th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.9% | — |
| 1971 | 2.0% | +9.0% |
| 1976 | 1.6% | -19.7% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | -13.6% |
| 1995 | 1.6% | +11.4% |
| 1996 | 1.6% | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 3.0% | +94.0% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 3.2% | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | -12.0% |
| 2011 | 3.0% | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 3.0% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 2.9% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | +6.2% |
| 2019 | 3.2% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 3.1% | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | +3.8% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | -3.1% |
| 2024 | 3.1% | -1.1% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 3.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.2%, 72% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 3.1% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.1%, 76% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Guatemala changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +94.0% | 1.6% | 3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 3 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 3.0% | 3.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
- 145 Antigua and Barbuda 3.1% compare
- 146 Turkey 3.1% compare
- 147 Albania 3.1% compare
- 149 Madagascar 3.0% compare
- 150 Turks and Caicos Islands 2.9% compare
- 151 Ghana 2.9% compare
More education data for Guatemala
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 122,548 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 247,917 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 335,306 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 328,468 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.42 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.3948 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1317 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Guatemala?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Guatemala was 3.1% in 2024, 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 Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1994.
- How does Guatemala rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Guatemala ranks 148th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Guatemala 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.