Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 19.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Vanuatu, 1994–2024
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 Vanuatu is 19.3%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Vanuatu peaked at 44.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 2019.
That places Vanuatu 21st out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 17.5% | — |
| 1998 | 27.4% | +56.3% |
| 1999 | 25.8% | -5.8% |
| 2000 | 27.5% | +6.6% |
| 2001 | 40.1% | +45.6% |
| 2002 | 36.4% | -9.2% |
| 2003 | 44.8% | +23.0% |
| 2008 | 21.4% | -52.2% |
| 2009 | 18.7% | -12.5% |
| 2014 | 22.2% | +18.5% |
| 2015 | 12.7% | -42.7% |
| 2016 | 12.5% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 12.2% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 20.1% | +64.9% |
| 2019 | 4.5% | -77.9% |
| 2020 | 5.0% | +12.5% |
| 2021 | 20.0% | +299.3% |
| 2022 | 20.9% | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 18.4% | -12.1% |
| 2024 | 19.3% | +4.9% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 19.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.3%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 19.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.3%, 1.6× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Vanuatu 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +299.3% | 5.0% | 20.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.6% | 17.5% | 27.4% | 3 |
| 2000s | 31.5% | 18.7% | 44.8% | 6 |
| 2010s | 14.0% | 4.5% | 22.2% | 6 |
| 2020s | 16.7% | 5.0% | 20.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
- 18 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 20.2% compare
- 19 Kiribati 20.1% compare
- 20 Kyrgyzstan 19.6% compare
- 22 Tajikistan 19.3% compare
- 23 Eswatini 19.2% compare
- 24 Peru 19.2% compare
More education data for Vanuatu
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,186 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,492 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 8,030 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 7,738 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 61,360 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 56,048 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.171 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Vanuatu?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Vanuatu was 19.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 44.8% in 2003.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 2019.
- How does Vanuatu rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Vanuatu ranks 21st out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Vanuatu 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 — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release