Government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): Government expenditure on education, total was 16.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), 1998–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2024, government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) stood at 16.8%.
That represents a change of down 4.8% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 18.0% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 13.2%, in 1999.
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 3rd of 46 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 13.2% | — |
| 1999 | 13.2% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 14.9% | +13.4% |
| 2002 | 15.7% | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 16.5% | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 16.0% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 15.4% | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 16.5% | +6.8% |
| 2013 | 16.7% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 17.2% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 18.0% | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 17.9% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 17.9% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 17.2% | -4.4% |
| 2019 | 15.8% | -8.1% |
| 2020 | 16.2% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 16.4% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 16.7% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 17.7% | +5.9% |
| 2024 | 16.8% | -4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.2% | 13.2% | 13.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.7% | 14.9% | 16.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 16.9% | 15.4% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.8% | 16.2% | 17.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- 1 Mauritania 31.9% compare
- 2 Kenya 28.5% compare
- 3 Turkmenistan 27.6% compare
- 4 Solomon Islands 25.2% compare
- 5 Namibia 24.6% compare
- 6 Morocco 23.3% compare
More education data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0886 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.215 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 55.17 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.79 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 57.82 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 22.4% (2025)
All data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) was 16.8% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 18.0% in 2015.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.2% in 1999.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 3rd out of 46 groups with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 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.