Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 2.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Nicaragua, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Nicaragua stood at 2.9%.
The figure is down 24.5% on the previous year and down 29.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Nicaragua peaked at 5.4% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1970.
That places Nicaragua 155th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 3.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 4.3% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 2.9% | 4.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
- 153 San Marino 2.9% compare
- 154 Vietnam 2.9% compare
- 156 Suriname 2.9% compare
- 157 Democratic Republic of Congo 2.8% compare
- 158 Cameroon 2.8% compare
More education data for Nicaragua
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 66.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 28.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 109.5% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 29,707 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 2.21 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 108.0% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Nicaragua?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Nicaragua was 2.9% 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 1987.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1970.
- How does Nicaragua rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Nicaragua ranks 155th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.