Government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Government expenditure on education, total was 16.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1995–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 16.3% for government expenditure on education, total in 2024.
The figure is up 4.3% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 18.0% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 12.8%, in 1998.
That places Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 7th out of 46 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 15.0% | — |
| 1998 | 12.8% | -14.2% |
| 1999 | 14.7% | +14.6% |
| 2000 | 15.3% | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 16.4% | +7.2% |
| 2002 | 16.1% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 14.7% | -8.8% |
| 2007 | 17.0% | +15.7% |
| 2008 | 17.4% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 16.1% | -7.5% |
| 2011 | 15.3% | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 17.7% | +15.6% |
| 2013 | 16.9% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 17.2% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 18.0% | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 17.9% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 17.9% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 17.2% | -4.4% |
| 2019 | 16.5% | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 15.9% | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 16.0% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 16.1% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 15.6% | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 16.3% | +4.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.2% | 12.8% | 15.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 16.1% | 14.7% | 17.4% | 6 |
| 2010s | 17.1% | 15.3% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.0% | 15.6% | 16.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 4 Solomon Islands 25.2% compare
- 5 Namibia 24.6% compare
- 6 Morocco 23.3% compare
- 7 Honduras 23.2% compare
- 8 Bhutan 22.2% compare
- 9 Uzbekistan 22.1% compare
- 10 Kazakhstan 22.0% compare
More education data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.22 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 62.34 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 60.53 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1513 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0936 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 22.3% (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 16.3% 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 & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 18.0% in 2015.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.8% in 1998.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 7th out of 46 groups with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.