Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Nicaragua, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Nicaragua is 1.4%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.4% on the previous year and down 26.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Nicaragua peaked at 2.0% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2004.
Nicaragua ranks 70th of 162 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.3% | — |
| 1971 | 1.3% | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 1.9% | +43.1% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | -9.0% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | -31.0% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | +11.0% |
| 2006 | 1.3% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | +32.5% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 1.9% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 1.8% | -5.3% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | -11.3% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | -14.4% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 1.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 83% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 1.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.4%, 1.0× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More education data for Nicaragua
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 85,306 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 132,281 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 131,337 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 463,660 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 880,080 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9095 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.129 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Nicaragua?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Nicaragua was 1.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 2018.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2004.
- How does Nicaragua rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Nicaragua ranks 70th out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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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About this data
February 2026 Data Release