Government expenditure on education, total in El Salvador
El Salvador: Government expenditure on education, total was 15.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on education, total in El Salvador, 1998–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2025, government expenditure on education, total in El Salvador stood at 15.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 50.3% on the previous year and up 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in El Salvador peaked at 18.2% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 2023.
That places El Salvador 51st out of 193 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 13.2% | — |
| 1999 | 13.0% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 13.5% | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 14.4% | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 14.2% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 14.9% | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 15.8% | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 18.2% | +14.8% |
| 2009 | 18.0% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 15.8% | -11.9% |
| 2011 | 15.4% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 13.6% | -12.1% |
| 2013 | 13.3% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 13.9% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 14.4% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 13.9% | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 13.3% | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 13.1% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 12.2% | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 11.2% | -8.2% |
| 2021 | 11.5% | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 11.4% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 10.4% | -8.4% |
| 2024 | 10.6% | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 15.9% | +50.3% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 15.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.2%, 1.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 15.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.4%, 1.2× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on education, total in El Salvador 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +50.3% | 10.6% | 15.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.1% | 13.0% | 13.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.4% | 13.5% | 18.2% | 8 |
| 2010s | 13.9% | 12.2% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.8% | 10.4% | 15.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
- 48 Malawi 16.0% compare
- 49 Republic of Moldova 16.0% compare
- 50 Puerto Rico 16.0% compare
- 52 Hong Kong, China 15.7% compare
- 53 Afghanistan 15.7% compare
- 54 Iceland 15.7% compare
More education data for El Salvador
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,715 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 21,853 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 100,826 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 100,758 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 417,193 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 594,860 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0939 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, total in El Salvador?
- Government expenditure on education, total in El Salvador was 15.9% in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 18.2% in 2008.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 2023.
- How does El Salvador rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- El Salvador ranks 51st out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.