Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Barbados
Barbados: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 14.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Barbados, 1991–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
Barbados recorded 14.2% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2025.
That represents a change of up 19.8% on the previous year and down 20.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Barbados peaked at 26.9% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1991.
Barbados ranks 72nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Barbados, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 0.0% | — |
| 1999 | 21.2% | — |
| 2000 | 22.2% | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 26.9% | +21.4% |
| 2002 | 24.7% | -8.0% |
| 2003 | 18.6% | -24.8% |
| 2004 | 18.6% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 18.2% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 17.2% | -5.6% |
| 2008 | 15.7% | -8.8% |
| 2009 | 16.1% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 18.1% | +12.4% |
| 2012 | 16.7% | -7.7% |
| 2013 | 14.8% | -11.1% |
| 2014 | 17.5% | +17.6% |
| 2015 | 17.8% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 13.4% | -25.0% |
| 2017 | 12.9% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 16.4% | +27.0% |
| 2019 | 13.9% | -15.3% |
| 2020 | 16.1% | +16.5% |
| 2021 | 14.8% | -8.0% |
| 2022 | 12.7% | -14.2% |
| 2023 | 12.5% | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 11.8% | -5.1% |
| 2025 | 14.2% | +19.8% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 14.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.8%, 1.2× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 14.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.4%, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.6% | 0.0% | 21.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 19.8% | 15.7% | 26.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 15.7% | 12.9% | 18.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 13.7% | 11.8% | 16.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
More education data for Barbados
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,244 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 279 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2,255 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2,277 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 18,457 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,314 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -5.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0578 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Barbados?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Barbados was 14.2% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 26.9% in 2001.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1991.
- How does Barbados rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Barbados ranks 72nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release