Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Kuwait

Kuwait: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 6.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
6.4%
Change on year
up 28.0%
World rank
22nd
of 199 countries
All-time high
14.2%
in 1992
All-time low
2.1%
in 1975
Years of data
33
1971–2024

Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Kuwait, 1971–2024

2.557.51012.5151971199720241971: 3.3 % of GDP1972: 2.8 % of GDP1973: 3.3 % of GDP1974: 3.5 % of GDP1975: 2.1 % of GDP1976: 3.1 % of GDP1977: 3.4 % of GDP1978: 4.1 % of GDP1979: 3.4 % of GDP1980: 2.8 % of GDP1981: 2.7 % of GDP1982: 3 % of GDP1983: 5.1 % of GDP1984: 5.1 % of GDP1985: 5 % of GDP1986: 5.4 % of GDP1992: 14.2 % of GDP1996: 5.9 % of GDP1997: 5.6 % of GDP2001: 6.6 % of GDP2002: 6.6 % of GDP2004: 5.5 % of GDP2005: 4.7 % of GDP2006: 3.8 % of GDP2016: 6 % of GDP2017: 6.4 % of GDP2018: 6.4 % of GDP2019: 6.7 % of GDP2020: 6.2 % of GDP2021: 7.8 % of GDP2022: 6.6 % of GDP2023: 5 % of GDP2024: 6.4 % of GDP

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 Kuwait is 6.4%, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 28.0% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Kuwait peaked at 14.2% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1975.

That places Kuwait 22nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 3.2% 2.1% 4.1% 9
1980s 4.2% 2.7% 5.4% 7
1990s 8.5% 5.6% 14.2% 3
2000s 5.4% 3.8% 6.6% 5
2010s 6.4% 6.0% 6.7% 4
2020s 6.4% 5.0% 7.8% 5

Countries ranked near Kuwait

  1. 19 Lesotho 6.6% compare
  2. 20 Moldova 6.6% compare
  3. 21 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6.5% compare
  4. 23 Finland 6.4% compare
  5. 24 Denmark 6.4% compare
  6. 25 Belgium 6.3% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More education data for Kuwait

All data for Kuwait →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Kuwait?
Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Kuwait was 6.4% 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 Kuwait?
The highest recorded value was 14.2% in 1992.
What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Kuwait?
The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1975.
How does Kuwait rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
Kuwait ranks 22nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Kuwait?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kuwait 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

Indicator
Government spending on education as a share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,187 data points, 1870–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.