Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 12.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
12.6%
Change on year
up 37.5%
World rank
101st
of 197 countries
All-time high
15.0%
in 1994
All-time low
0.0%
in 1982
Years of data
32
1982–2025
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Trinidad and Tobago, 1982–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
Trinidad and Tobago recorded 12.6% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2025.
That represents a change of up 37.5% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Trinidad and Tobago peaked at 15.0% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1982.
Trinidad and Tobago ranks 101st of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Trinidad and Tobago, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 0.0% | — |
| 1983 | 0.0% | — |
| 1984 | 0.0% | — |
| 1985 | 0.0% | — |
| 1989 | 12.9% | — |
| 1990 | 13.9% | +7.3% |
| 1994 | 15.0% | +8.4% |
| 1995 | 14.9% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 13.3% | -10.8% |
| 1997 | 12.0% | -9.4% |
| 1998 | 8.9% | -25.8% |
| 1999 | 11.2% | +25.8% |
| 2000 | 11.7% | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 12.2% | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 14.3% | +17.4% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 12.9% | -7.2% |
| 2011 | 11.1% | -13.9% |
| 2012 | 11.3% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 11.7% | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 10.5% | -10.4% |
| 2015 | 12.3% | +17.1% |
| 2016 | 11.8% | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 9.9% | -16.1% |
| 2018 | 10.7% | +7.7% |
| 2019 | 10.5% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 11.7% | +12.1% |
| 2021 | 10.0% | -14.4% |
| 2022 | 10.4% | +3.8% |
| 2023 | 9.8% | -5.6% |
| 2024 | 9.1% | -6.9% |
| 2025 | 12.6% | +37.5% |
Trinidad and Tobago compared with similar countries
- Trinidad and Tobago's 12.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.8%, 1.1× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Trinidad and Tobago's 12.6% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.4%, 94% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.6% | 0.0% | 12.9% | 5 |
| 1990s | 12.7% | 8.9% | 15.0% | 7 |
| 2000s | 13.0% | 11.7% | 14.3% | 4 |
| 2010s | 11.3% | 9.9% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.6% | 9.1% | 12.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Trinidad and Tobago
More education data for Trinidad and Tobago
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7,950 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 8,036 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 12,546 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 12,926 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,195 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126,491 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.94 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0924 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Trinidad and Tobago?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Trinidad and Tobago was 12.6% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Trinidad and Tobago?
- The highest recorded value was 15.0% in 1994.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Trinidad and Tobago?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1982.
- How does Trinidad and Tobago rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Trinidad and Tobago ranks 101st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Trinidad and Tobago?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Trinidad and Tobago 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 — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release