Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Cook Islands
Cook Islands: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 9.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Cook Islands, 1985–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
The most recent figure for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Cook Islands is 9.2%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.5% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Cook Islands peaked at 12.0% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1985.
Cook Islands ranks 162nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Cook Islands, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.0% | — |
| 1987 | 0.0% | — |
| 1992 | 0.0% | — |
| 1999 | 5.2% | — |
| 2000 | 6.7% | +27.6% |
| 2011 | 9.6% | +44.0% |
| 2012 | 8.3% | -13.8% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | +6.0% |
| 2014 | 11.6% | +31.2% |
| 2015 | 10.2% | -12.0% |
| 2016 | 11.2% | +9.9% |
| 2017 | 9.2% | -17.6% |
| 2018 | 12.0% | +30.3% |
| 2019 | 11.0% | -8.5% |
| 2020 | 7.9% | -27.8% |
| 2021 | 7.5% | -5.3% |
| 2022 | 8.9% | +18.3% |
| 2023 | 8.9% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 11.7% | +32.2% |
| 2025 | 9.2% | -21.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 0.0% | 5.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.7% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 10.2% | 8.3% | 12.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 9.0% | 7.5% | 11.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cook Islands
More education data for Cook Islands
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate -4.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -4.57 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 355 (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0494 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.2167 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 921 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 96 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -2.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,824 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 113 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Cook Islands?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Cook Islands was 9.2% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Cook Islands?
- The highest recorded value was 12.0% in 2018.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Cook Islands?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1985.
- How does Cook Islands rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Cook Islands ranks 162nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Cook Islands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cook Islands 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release