Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in El Salvador
El Salvador: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 15.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in El Salvador, 1999–2025
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 El Salvador is 15.9%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 50.3% on the previous year and up 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in El Salvador peaked at 18.2% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 2023.
That places El Salvador 51st out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 13.0% | — |
| 2000 | 13.5% | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 14.4% | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 14.2% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 14.9% | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 15.8% | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 18.2% | +14.8% |
| 2009 | 18.0% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 15.8% | -11.9% |
| 2011 | 15.4% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 13.6% | -12.1% |
| 2013 | 13.3% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 13.9% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 14.4% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 13.9% | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 13.3% | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 13.1% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 12.2% | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 11.2% | -8.2% |
| 2021 | 11.5% | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 11.4% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 10.4% | -8.4% |
| 2024 | 10.6% | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 15.9% | +50.3% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 15.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.2%, 1.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 15.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.4%, 1.2× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in El Salvador changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +50.3% | 10.6% | 15.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.0% | 13.0% | 13.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 15.4% | 13.5% | 18.2% | 8 |
| 2010s | 13.9% | 12.2% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.8% | 10.4% | 15.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
- 48 Malawi 16.0% compare
- 49 Republic of Moldova 16.0% compare
- 50 Puerto Rico 16.0% compare
- 52 Hong Kong, China 15.7% compare
- 53 Afghanistan 15.7% compare
- 54 Iceland 15.7% compare
More education data for El Salvador
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,715 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 21,853 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 100,826 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 100,758 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 417,193 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 594,860 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0939 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in El Salvador?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in El Salvador was 15.9% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 18.2% in 2008.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 2023.
- How does El Salvador rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- El Salvador ranks 51st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this El Salvador 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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About this data
February 2026 Data Release