Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Thailand
Thailand: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 0.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
0.6%
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
115th
of 173 countries
All-time high
1.1%
in 1998
All-time low
0.3%
in 1974
Years of data
45
1971–2023
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Thailand, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Thailand stood at 0.6%.
The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Thailand peaked at 1.1% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1974.
Thailand ranks 115th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Thailand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.5% | — |
| 1972 | 0.5% | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 0.3% | -29.0% |
| 1974 | 0.3% | -18.7% |
| 1975 | 0.3% | +5.8% |
| 1976 | 0.4% | +38.1% |
| 1977 | 0.4% | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 0.3% | -15.4% |
| 1980 | 0.4% | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +78.7% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -24.1% |
| 1983 | 0.6% | +19.0% |
| 1984 | 0.6% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | -28.0% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | -3.5% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | -13.7% |
| 1989 | 0.3% | -4.8% |
| 1991 | 0.6% | +69.2% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | +8.6% |
| 1994 | 0.7% | +11.1% |
| 1995 | 0.7% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | +36.3% |
| 1997 | 1.0% | +5.8% |
| 1998 | 1.1% | +14.3% |
| 2000 | 1.1% | -4.4% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | -20.5% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +12.6% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | -22.7% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -22.4% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | +23.8% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | -8.8% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | -9.3% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -8.9% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | -5.4% |
| 2023 | 0.6% | -3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 8 |
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 7 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 7 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More education data for Thailand
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 243,991 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 13,596 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 758,147 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 716,498 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.26 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.45 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0621 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Thailand?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Thailand was 0.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 1.1% in 1998.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1974.
- How does Thailand rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Thailand ranks 115th out of 173 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Thailand 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release