Government expenditure on education, total in Small states
Small states: Government expenditure on education, total was 11.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in Small states, 1982–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2024, government expenditure on education, total in Small states stood at 11.7%.
That represents a change of down 10.4% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Small states peaked at 16.6% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1982.
That places Small states 39th out of 46 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Small states, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 0.0% | — |
| 1983 | 0.0% | — |
| 1984 | 0.0% | — |
| 1985 | 0.0% | — |
| 1989 | 6.5% | — |
| 1990 | 11.2% | +73.8% |
| 1994 | 7.5% | -33.1% |
| 1995 | 7.4% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 16.5% | +121.4% |
| 1997 | 14.9% | -9.8% |
| 1998 | 12.5% | -16.1% |
| 1999 | 15.3% | +22.4% |
| 2000 | 13.8% | -9.5% |
| 2001 | 14.0% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 14.7% | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 16.5% | +12.0% |
| 2004 | 16.6% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 16.5% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 16.2% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 14.2% | -12.3% |
| 2008 | 14.0% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 13.2% | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 14.1% | +6.2% |
| 2011 | 13.6% | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 11.9% | -12.5% |
| 2013 | 13.6% | +14.9% |
| 2014 | 11.9% | -12.5% |
| 2015 | 12.9% | +7.9% |
| 2016 | 15.2% | +17.8% |
| 2017 | 14.8% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 13.9% | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 13.0% | -6.1% |
| 2020 | 12.1% | -6.7% |
| 2021 | 12.2% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 13.0% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | 11.7% | -10.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.3% | 0.0% | 6.5% | 5 |
| 1990s | 12.2% | 7.4% | 16.5% | 7 |
| 2000s | 15.0% | 13.2% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.5% | 11.9% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.2% | 11.7% | 13.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Small states
More education data for Small states
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 243,069 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.48 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2538 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 24.2% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 66.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on education, total in Small states?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Small states was 11.7% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 16.6% in 2004.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1982.
- How does Small states rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Small states ranks 39th out of 46 groups with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Small states 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.