Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Colombia
Colombia: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 2.0% in 1999. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Colombia, 1979–1999
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Colombia is 2.0%, measured in 1999. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of up 13.7% on the previous year and up 113.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Colombia peaked at 2.0% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 1980.
Colombia ranks 23rd of 162 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Colombia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.8% | — |
| 1980 | 0.8% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 1.2% | +52.0% |
| 1984 | 1.2% | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 1.1% | -11.7% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | -13.1% |
| 1998 | 1.8% | +88.2% |
| 1999 | 2.0% | +13.7% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 2.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4%, 1.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 2.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.4%, 1.5× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 5 |
| 1990s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
- 20 Burkina Faso 2.1% compare
- 21 Mali 2.1% compare
- 22 Morocco 2.1% compare
- 24 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2.0% compare
- 25 Dominican Republic 2.0% compare
- 26 Honduras 2.0% compare
More education data for Colombia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 190,940 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 234,939 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 963,182 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 937,684 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.85 million (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.14 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.2 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.08 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Colombia?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Colombia was 2.0% in 1999, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 1999.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 1980.
- How does Colombia rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Colombia ranks 23rd out of 162 countries with data for 1999.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 113.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Colombia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release