Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in El Salvador
El Salvador: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 3.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in El Salvador, 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded 3.1% for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in 2024.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in El Salvador peaked at 4.7% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1975.
El Salvador ranks 130th of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 0.9% | — |
| 1998 | 2.5% | +181.6% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 2.8% | +10.8% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | +14.2% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 3.2% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 3.4% | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 3.6% | +7.1% |
| 2008 | 4.5% | +23.5% |
| 2009 | 4.7% | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 4.0% | -13.1% |
| 2011 | 3.9% | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | -8.3% |
| 2013 | 3.7% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 3.8% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 3.9% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | -3.4% |
| 2018 | 3.4% | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 3.2% | -6.8% |
| 2020 | 3.7% | +14.3% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | -11.5% |
| 2023 | 3.2% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 3.1% | -1.6% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 3.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.7%, 84% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 3.1% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.1%, 75% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in El Salvador 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +181.6% | 0.9% | 2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.6% | 2.8% | 4.7% | 8 |
| 2010s | 3.7% | 3.2% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More education data for El Salvador
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,715 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 21,853 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 100,826 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 100,758 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 417,193 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 594,860 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0939 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in El Salvador?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in El Salvador was 3.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 4.7% in 2009.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1975.
- How does El Salvador rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- El Salvador ranks 130th out of 185 countries with data for 2024.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Initial government expenditure on 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