Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Bhutan
Bhutan: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 5.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Bhutan, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Bhutan stood at 5.8%.
That represents a change of down 21.7% on the previous year and up 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Bhutan peaked at 7.5% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1972.
Bhutan ranks 33rd of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.9% | — |
| 1972 | 1.7% | -12.0% |
| 1975 | 3.1% | +87.4% |
| 1978 | 2.5% | -18.8% |
| 1979 | 3.5% | +38.5% |
| 2000 | 5.8% | +66.5% |
| 2001 | 5.4% | -5.8% |
| 2004 | 6.1% | +12.4% |
| 2005 | 6.8% | +10.5% |
| 2008 | 4.6% | -32.4% |
| 2009 | 4.4% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | -13.5% |
| 2011 | 4.3% | +12.9% |
| 2013 | 5.2% | +19.7% |
| 2014 | 5.5% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 6.9% | +26.9% |
| 2016 | 6.4% | -7.6% |
| 2017 | 6.6% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 6.5% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 4.5% | -30.4% |
| 2020 | 5.5% | +21.3% |
| 2021 | 6.6% | +20.6% |
| 2022 | 7.5% | +13.2% |
| 2023 | 5.8% | -21.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.5% | 1.7% | 3.5% | 5 |
| 2000s | 5.5% | 4.4% | 6.8% | 6 |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 3.8% | 6.9% | 9 |
| 2020s | 6.3% | 5.5% | 7.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More education data for Bhutan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,995 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,961 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,905 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,735 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 67,821 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,759 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1159 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Bhutan?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Bhutan was 5.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 7.5% in 2022.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1972.
- How does Bhutan rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Bhutan ranks 33rd out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan 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 — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release