Education spending in Thailand
Thailand: Education spending was 2.52 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.52
Change on year
down 3.5%
World rank
166th
of 199 countries
All-time high
5.25
in 2000
All-time low
2.15
in 1974
Years of data
49
1971–2023
Education spending in Thailand, 1971–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for education spending in Thailand is 2.52, 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, education spending in Thailand peaked at 5.25 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.15, 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.
Education spending in Thailand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.07 | — |
| 1972 | 3.03 | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 2.55 | -15.7% |
| 1974 | 2.15 | -15.9% |
| 1975 | 2.38 | +10.9% |
| 1976 | 3.02 | +26.7% |
| 1977 | 3.22 | +6.6% |
| 1979 | 2.85 | -11.5% |
| 1980 | 2.57 | -9.5% |
| 1981 | 2.88 | +12.0% |
| 1982 | 3.27 | +13.6% |
| 1983 | 3.46 | +5.8% |
| 1984 | 3.44 | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 3.41 | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 3.12 | -8.6% |
| 1988 | 2.75 | -11.6% |
| 1989 | 2.5 | -9.1% |
| 1991 | 3.09 | +23.4% |
| 1992 | 3.05 | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 3.41 | +11.8% |
| 1995 | 3.14 | -7.6% |
| 1996 | 3.5 | +11.3% |
| 1997 | 4.58 | +30.8% |
| 1998 | 4.63 | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 4.83 | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 5.25 | +8.7% |
| 2001 | 4.82 | -8.3% |
| 2002 | 3.86 | -19.8% |
| 2003 | 3.73 | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 4.03 | +8.2% |
| 2005 | 3.94 | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 4.05 | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 3.6 | -11.0% |
| 2008 | 3.51 | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 3.86 | +10.1% |
| 2010 | 3.51 | -9.2% |
| 2011 | 4.81 | +37.0% |
| 2012 | 4.54 | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 4.12 | -9.1% |
| 2014 | 3.92 | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 3.86 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 3.77 | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 3.47 | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 3.2 | -7.7% |
| 2019 | 3.02 | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 3.15 | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 2.98 | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 2.61 | -12.4% |
| 2023 | 2.52 | -3.5% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 2.52 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.25, 59% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 2.52 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.25, 59% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.78 | 2.15 | 3.22 | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.05 | 2.5 | 3.46 | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.78 | 3.05 | 4.83 | 8 |
| 2000s | 4.07 | 3.51 | 5.25 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.82 | 3.02 | 4.81 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.82 | 2.52 | 3.15 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More education data for Thailand
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.74 (2025)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.18 (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is education spending in Thailand?
- Education spending in Thailand was 2.52 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest education spending recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 5.25 in 2000.
- What is the lowest education spending recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.15 in 1974.
- How does Thailand rank for education spending?
- Thailand ranks 166th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is education spending 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Education spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).