Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 2.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Trinidad and Tobago, 1980–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Trinidad and Tobago is 2.9%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 9.6% on the previous year and down 31.2% over five years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Trinidad and Tobago peaked at 5.9% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1998.
Trinidad and Tobago ranks 138th of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Trinidad and Tobago, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.8% | — |
| 1982 | 5.5% | +44.8% |
| 1983 | 5.8% | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 5.9% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 5.8% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 4.2% | -27.2% |
| 1990 | 3.7% | -13.0% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | -6.1% |
| 1995 | 3.6% | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | -8.7% |
| 1997 | 3.3% | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | -26.7% |
| 1999 | 2.8% | +13.0% |
| 2000 | 2.8% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 3.1% | +11.2% |
| 2002 | 3.5% | +13.3% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -12.1% |
| 2020 | 4.3% | +39.3% |
| 2021 | 3.0% | -29.4% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | -11.0% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | +9.6% |
Trinidad and Tobago compared with similar countries
- Trinidad and Tobago's 2.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 67% of the median. (67 countries reporting)
- Trinidad and Tobago's 2.9% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.1%, 71% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.1% | 3.8% | 5.9% | 6 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.4% | 3.7% | 7 |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 4 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 2.7% | 4.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Trinidad and Tobago
More education data for Trinidad and Tobago
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7,950 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 8,036 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 12,546 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 12,926 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,195 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126,491 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.94 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0924 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Trinidad and Tobago?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Trinidad and Tobago was 2.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Trinidad and Tobago?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 1984.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Trinidad and Tobago?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1998.
- How does Trinidad and Tobago rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Trinidad and Tobago ranks 138th out of 185 countries with data for 2023.
- Where does this Trinidad and Tobago 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release