Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Kiribati
Kiribati: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 3.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Kiribati, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Kiribati stood at 3.5%.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Kiribati peaked at 4.2% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 1970.
Kiribati ranks 6th of 162 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Kiribati, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.9% | — |
| 1971 | 2.3% | +19.3% |
| 1974 | 2.0% | -11.6% |
| 1999 | 4.2% | +104.1% |
| 2000 | 3.9% | -6.2% |
| 2001 | 4.0% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 3.5% | -12.2% |
| 2013 | 3.6% | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 3.5% | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | -9.1% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | -6.0% |
| 2018 | 3.5% | +15.1% |
| 2020 | 3.6% | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 3.4% | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | +0.7% |
Kiribati compared with similar countries
- Kiribati's 3.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 2.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Kiribati's 3.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.3%, 2.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Kiribati 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +104.1% | 2.0% | 4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 3 |
| 1990s | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 4.0% | 3.9% | 4.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.4% | 3.0% | 3.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kiribati
More education data for Kiribati
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 969 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 608 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,846 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 17,457 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1298 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,457 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Kiribati?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Kiribati was 3.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Kiribati?
- The highest recorded value was 4.2% in 1999.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Kiribati?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 1970.
- How does Kiribati rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Kiribati ranks 6th out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Kiribati?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kiribati 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 — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release