Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 4.6% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Timor-Leste, 2008–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Timor-Leste is 4.6%, measured in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of down 12.5% on the previous year and down 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Timor-Leste peaked at 8.3% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 2018.
That places Timor-Leste 67th out of 185 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Timor-Leste, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 5.4% | — |
| 2009 | 8.3% | +53.0% |
| 2010 | 7.8% | -6.7% |
| 2011 | 5.9% | -23.5% |
| 2012 | 7.2% | +20.5% |
| 2013 | 5.7% | -20.9% |
| 2014 | 7.5% | +32.6% |
| 2015 | 6.6% | -12.1% |
| 2016 | 6.2% | -5.5% |
| 2017 | 5.2% | -16.1% |
| 2018 | 4.6% | -12.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.9% | 5.4% | 8.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 6.3% | 4.6% | 7.8% | 9 |
Countries ranked near Timor-Leste
- 64 Rwanda 4.7% compare
- 65 Russian Federation 4.7% compare
- 66 Uzbekistan 4.6% compare
- 68 Cook Islands 4.6% compare
- 69 Tajikistan 4.6% compare
- 70 Portugal 4.5% compare
More education data for Timor-Leste
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 112,858 (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 83,943 (2020)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 227,656 (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.28 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2020)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7,144 (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.1645 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 114,798 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Timor-Leste?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Timor-Leste was 4.6% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The highest recorded value was 8.3% in 2009.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Timor-Leste?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 2018.
- How does Timor-Leste rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Timor-Leste ranks 67th out of 185 countries with data for 2018.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Timor-Leste?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Timor-Leste 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