Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Barbados
Barbados: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 3.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Barbados, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Barbados is 3.6%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is down 5.8% on the previous year and down 33.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Barbados peaked at 7.5% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2024.
Barbados ranks 124th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Barbados, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6.2% | — |
| 1972 | 6.8% | +10.4% |
| 1973 | 6.7% | -1.0% |
| 1974 | 7.5% | +11.9% |
| 1976 | 5.9% | -21.0% |
| 1977 | 6.5% | +9.6% |
| 1991 | 6.6% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 4.3% | -34.6% |
| 2000 | 4.7% | +8.6% |
| 2001 | 6.1% | +28.4% |
| 2002 | 5.9% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 6.2% | +6.2% |
| 2004 | 6.0% | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 5.7% | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 5.2% | -7.9% |
| 2008 | 4.9% | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 5.1% | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 6.1% | +18.4% |
| 2012 | 4.6% | -24.2% |
| 2013 | 4.5% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 5.4% | +19.0% |
| 2015 | 5.2% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 4.2% | -18.7% |
| 2017 | 4.0% | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 5.4% | +36.6% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | -31.1% |
| 2020 | 3.9% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 4.5% | +16.4% |
| 2022 | 4.1% | -8.0% |
| 2023 | 3.8% | -8.8% |
| 2024 | 3.6% | -5.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.6% | 5.9% | 7.5% | 6 |
| 1990s | 5.5% | 4.3% | 6.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.5% | 4.7% | 6.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 4.8% | 3.7% | 6.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 3.6% | 4.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
- 121 Azerbaijan 3.7% compare
- 122 Aruba 3.6% compare
- 123 Côte d'Ivoire 3.6% compare
- 125 Paraguay 3.5% compare
- 126 Malaysia 3.5% compare
- 127 Macau, China 3.5% compare
More education data for Barbados
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,244 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 279 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2,255 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2,277 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 18,457 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,314 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -5.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0578 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Barbados?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Barbados was 3.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 7.5% in 1974.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2024.
- How does Barbados rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Barbados ranks 124th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release