Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Bhutan
Bhutan: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 2.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Bhutan, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Bhutan stood at 2.7%.
The figure is down 25.2% on the previous year and up 142.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Bhutan peaked at 3.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1972.
That places Bhutan 9th out of 162 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.3% | — |
| 1972 | 0.2% | -21.6% |
| 1975 | 0.4% | +82.1% |
| 1978 | 0.5% | +34.1% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | +58.9% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | +36.0% |
| 2005 | 1.5% | +27.3% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | -29.3% |
| 2009 | 1.3% | +23.3% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -13.1% |
| 2011 | 1.4% | +18.9% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | -17.1% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | +54.9% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -28.8% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -18.7% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | -11.7% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -14.2% |
| 2020 | 2.7% | +246.5% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | +29.3% |
| 2023 | 2.7% | -25.2% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 2.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 1.7× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 2.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.1%, 2.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Bhutan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +246.5% | 0.8% | 2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 4 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 0.8% | 1.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More education data for Bhutan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,995 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,961 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,905 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,735 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 67,821 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,759 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1159 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Bhutan?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Bhutan was 2.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.7% in 2022.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1972.
- How does Bhutan rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Bhutan ranks 9th out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 142.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release