Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 2.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nicaragua, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nicaragua is 2.9%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 24.5% on the previous year and down 29.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nicaragua peaked at 5.4% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1970.
Nicaragua ranks 155th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.0% | — |
| 1971 | 2.5% | +22.2% |
| 1987 | 5.4% | +114.8% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | -44.2% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | -25.4% |
| 1999 | 2.9% | +31.3% |
| 2000 | 3.0% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 2.4% | -20.3% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 4.5% | +85.1% |
| 2014 | 4.1% | -8.9% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 4.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 4.4% | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 4.5% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 4.6% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | -10.8% |
| 2022 | 3.8% | -7.0% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -24.5% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 2.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 71% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 2.9% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.1%, 71% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nicaragua 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | +114.8% | 2.5% | 5.4% |
| 2010 | +85.1% | 2.4% | 4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 2.2% | 3.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 4.3% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 2.9% | 4.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More education data for Nicaragua
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 85,306 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 132,281 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 131,337 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 463,660 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 880,080 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9095 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.129 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nicaragua?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nicaragua was 2.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 1987.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1970.
- How does Nicaragua rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Nicaragua ranks 155th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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 — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release