Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Barbados

Barbados: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
1.1%
Change on year
down 5.7%
World rank
43rd
of 173 countries
All-time high
2.1%
in 2014
All-time low
0.8%
in 1971
Years of data
31
1971–2024

Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Barbados, 1971–2024

00.511.521971199720241971: 0.811 %1972: 0.874 %1973: 0.875 %1974: 0.964 %1976: 1.2 %1977: 1.5 %1991: 1.3 %1999: 1.4 %2000: 1.3 %2001: 1.8 %2002: 1.8 %2003: 1.8 %2004: 1.9 %2005: 1.8 %2007: 1.6 %2008: 1.5 %2009: 1.5 %2010: 2 %2012: 1.4 %2013: 1.7 %2014: 2.1 %2015: 1.6 %2016: 1.3 %2017: 1.1 %2018: 1.4 %2019: 1.1 %2020: 1.3 %2021: 1.6 %2022: 1.4 %2023: 1.2 %2024: 1.1 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Barbados recorded 1.1% for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in 2024.

That represents a change of down 5.7% on the previous year and down 47.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Barbados peaked at 2.1% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 1971.

Barbados ranks 43rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Barbados, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP (%) in Barbados, 1971 to 2024.
Year % Change
1971 0.8%
1972 0.9% +7.8%
1973 0.9% +0.1%
1974 1.0% +10.2%
1976 1.2% +24.0%
1977 1.5% +23.8%
1991 1.3% -11.1%
1999 1.4% +6.0%
2000 1.3% -7.2%
2001 1.8% +36.0%
2002 1.8% +0.0%
2003 1.8% +1.6%
2004 1.9% +6.1%
2005 1.8% -5.7%
2007 1.6% -12.0%
2008 1.5% -6.0%
2009 1.5% +3.2%
2010 2.0% +28.7%
2012 1.4% -29.5%
2013 1.7% +20.2%
2014 2.1% +26.3%
2015 1.6% -24.2%
2016 1.3% -16.1%
2017 1.1% -15.7%
2018 1.4% +22.9%
2019 1.1% -22.3%
2020 1.3% +22.4%
2021 1.6% +20.6%
2022 1.4% -13.7%
2023 1.2% -13.9%
2024 1.1% -5.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.0% 0.8% 1.5% 6
1990s 1.4% 1.3% 1.4% 2
2000s 1.7% 1.3% 1.9% 9
2010s 1.5% 1.1% 2.1% 9
2020s 1.3% 1.1% 1.6% 5

Countries ranked near Barbados

  1. 40 New Zealand 1.2% compare
  2. 41 South Africa 1.2% compare
  3. 42 Vanuatu 1.2% compare
  4. 44 Slovenia 1.1% compare
  5. 45 Spain 1.1% compare
  6. 46 Pakistan 1.1% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More education data for Barbados

All data for Barbados →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Barbados?
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Barbados was 1.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Barbados?
The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 2014.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Barbados?
The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 1971.
How does Barbados rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
Barbados ranks 43rd out of 173 countries with data for 2024.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Barbados?
Over the last ten years it is down 47.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Barbados data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Barbados. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-a-percentage-of-gdp-percent/barbados/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
173 places, 3,953 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release