Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Thailand
Thailand: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 2.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Thailand, 1971–2023
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 Thailand is 2.5%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.5% on the previous year and down 38.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Thailand peaked at 5.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1974.
Thailand ranks 166th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Thailand, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.1% | — |
| 1972 | 3.0% | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 2.6% | -15.7% |
| 1974 | 2.1% | -15.9% |
| 1975 | 2.4% | +10.9% |
| 1976 | 3.0% | +26.7% |
| 1977 | 3.2% | +6.6% |
| 1979 | 2.8% | -11.5% |
| 1980 | 2.6% | -9.5% |
| 1981 | 2.9% | +12.0% |
| 1982 | 3.3% | +13.6% |
| 1983 | 3.5% | +5.8% |
| 1984 | 3.4% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 3.4% | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 3.1% | -8.6% |
| 1988 | 2.8% | -11.6% |
| 1989 | 2.5% | -9.1% |
| 1991 | 3.1% | +23.4% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | +11.8% |
| 1995 | 3.1% | -7.6% |
| 1996 | 3.5% | +11.3% |
| 1997 | 4.6% | +30.8% |
| 1998 | 4.6% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 4.8% | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 5.3% | +8.7% |
| 2001 | 4.8% | -8.3% |
| 2002 | 3.9% | -19.8% |
| 2003 | 3.7% | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | +8.2% |
| 2005 | 3.9% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 4.1% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 3.6% | -11.0% |
| 2008 | 3.5% | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 3.9% | +10.1% |
| 2010 | 3.5% | -9.2% |
| 2011 | 4.8% | +37.0% |
| 2012 | 4.5% | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | -9.1% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 3.9% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 3.2% | -7.7% |
| 2019 | 3.0% | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 3.2% | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 3.0% | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 2.6% | -12.4% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | -3.5% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 2.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.2%, 59% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 2.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.2%, 59% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.8% | 2.1% | 3.2% | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 2.5% | 3.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.8% | 3.0% | 4.8% | 8 |
| 2000s | 4.1% | 3.5% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.0% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More education data for Thailand
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 243,991 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 13,596 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 758,147 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 716,498 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.26 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.45 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0621 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Thailand?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Thailand was 2.5% 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 Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 5.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1974.
- How does Thailand rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Thailand ranks 166th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Thailand 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.