Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Kiribati
Kiribati: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 16.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Kiribati, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education as a share of gdp in Kiribati is 16.4%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.9% on the previous year and up 35.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Kiribati peaked at 16.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 1974.
That places Kiribati 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Kiribati, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.9% | — |
| 1971 | 5.3% | -11.0% |
| 1974 | 3.9% | -26.5% |
| 1999 | 9.7% | +150.4% |
| 2000 | 10.0% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 11.6% | +16.0% |
| 2012 | 12.5% | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 12.1% | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 11.5% | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 10.8% | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 11.6% | +8.2% |
| 2017 | 11.5% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 12.9% | +12.6% |
| 2019 | 14.5% | +12.4% |
| 2020 | 16.2% | +11.8% |
| 2021 | 14.0% | -13.8% |
| 2022 | 14.8% | +5.7% |
| 2023 | 16.4% | +10.9% |
Kiribati compared with similar countries
- Kiribati's 16.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 4.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Kiribati's 16.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.2%, 3.9× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Kiribati 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +150.4% | 3.9% | 9.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.0% | 3.9% | 5.9% | 3 |
| 1990s | 9.7% | 9.7% | 9.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 10.8% | 10.0% | 11.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 12.2% | 10.8% | 14.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 15.3% | 14.0% | 16.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kiribati
More education data for Kiribati
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 969 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 608 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,846 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 17,457 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1298 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,457 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Kiribati?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Kiribati was 16.4% in 2023, 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 Kiribati?
- The highest recorded value was 16.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Kiribati?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 1974.
- How does Kiribati rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Kiribati ranks 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Kiribati?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kiribati 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.