Expenditure on tertiary education in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Expenditure on tertiary education was 21.0% in 2015. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on tertiary education in Latin America & Caribbean, 2002–2015
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure on education.
Analysis
In 2015, expenditure on tertiary education in Latin America & Caribbean stood at 21.0%. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on tertiary education in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 21.0% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 17.7%, in 2007.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 19th out of 37 groups with data for 2015, putting it in the middle of the range.
Expenditure on tertiary education in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure on education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 18.2% | — |
| 2004 | 18.1% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 17.7% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 19.7% | +10.8% |
| 2011 | 19.8% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 18.6% | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 20.4% | +9.7% |
| 2015 | 21.0% | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.0% | 17.7% | 18.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 19.9% | 18.6% | 21.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More education data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.34 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 63.30 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 61.44 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1923 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0928 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 22.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on tertiary education in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Expenditure on tertiary education in Latin America & Caribbean was 21.0% in 2015, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest expenditure on tertiary education recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 21.0% in 2015.
- What is the lowest expenditure on tertiary education recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.7% in 2007.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for expenditure on tertiary education?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 19th out of 37 groups with data for 2015.
- Is expenditure on tertiary education rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Expenditure on tertiary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.