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
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Kuwait, 1971–2024
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.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.3% | — |
| 1972 | 2.8% | -14.3% |
| 1973 | 3.3% | +17.3% |
| 1974 | 3.5% | +6.6% |
| 1975 | 2.1% | -39.4% |
| 1976 | 3.1% | +45.9% |
| 1977 | 3.4% | +8.1% |
| 1978 | 4.1% | +21.2% |
| 1979 | 3.4% | -16.0% |
| 1980 | 2.8% | -18.6% |
| 1981 | 2.7% | -2.6% |
| 1982 | 3.0% | +11.6% |
| 1983 | 5.1% | +67.8% |
| 1984 | 5.1% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 5.0% | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 5.4% | +7.9% |
| 1992 | 14.2% | +162.9% |
| 1996 | 5.9% | -58.7% |
| 1997 | 5.6% | -4.7% |
| 2001 | 6.6% | +18.0% |
| 2002 | 6.6% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 5.5% | -15.5% |
| 2005 | 4.7% | -14.4% |
| 2006 | 3.8% | -20.6% |
| 2016 | 6.0% | +58.4% |
| 2017 | 6.4% | +6.7% |
| 2018 | 6.4% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 6.7% | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 6.2% | -7.2% |
| 2021 | 7.8% | +24.3% |
| 2022 | 6.6% | -15.2% |
| 2023 | 5.0% | -23.6% |
| 2024 | 6.4% | +28.0% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 6.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.5× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 6.4% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.4%, 1.5× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Kuwait 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +162.9% | 5.4% | 14.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More education data for Kuwait
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 47,443 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 11 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 30,349 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 29,489 (2021)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 302,047 (2015)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 265,113 (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -4.44 % change on previous year (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0608 units per person (2021)
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
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.