Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 11.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Nicaragua, 1987–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
In 2024, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Nicaragua stood at 11.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 37.7% on the previous year and down 52.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Nicaragua peaked at 26.4% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1987.
That places Nicaragua 130th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 0.0% | — |
| 1992 | 11.9% | — |
| 1998 | 13.4% | +12.1% |
| 1999 | 14.7% | +10.0% |
| 2000 | 14.6% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 15.7% | +7.6% |
| 2003 | 14.9% | -5.1% |
| 2010 | 26.4% | +77.4% |
| 2014 | 23.0% | -12.7% |
| 2015 | 22.3% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 21.3% | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 22.4% | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 22.8% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 23.9% | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 22.7% | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 18.5% | -18.4% |
| 2022 | 18.5% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 17.7% | -4.5% |
| 2024 | 11.0% | -37.7% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 11.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.3%, 77% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 11.0% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.4%, 82% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Nicaragua 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +77.4% | 14.9% | 26.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 13.3% | 11.9% | 14.7% | 3 |
| 2000s | 15.0% | 14.6% | 15.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 23.2% | 21.3% | 26.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 17.7% | 11.0% | 22.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More education data for Nicaragua
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 85,306 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 132,281 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 131,337 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 463,660 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 880,080 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9095 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.129 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Nicaragua?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Nicaragua was 11.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 26.4% in 2010.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1987.
- How does Nicaragua rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Nicaragua ranks 130th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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 — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release