Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Barbados
Barbados: Proportion of total government spending on essential services was 14.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Barbados, 2000–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Barbados recorded 14.2% for proportion of total government spending on essential services in 2025.
That represents a change of up 19.8% on the previous year and down 20.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services in Barbados peaked at 26.9% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2024.
Barbados ranks 61st of 170 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Barbados, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 22.2% | — |
| 2001 | 26.9% | +21.4% |
| 2002 | 24.7% | -8.0% |
| 2003 | 18.6% | -24.8% |
| 2004 | 18.6% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 18.2% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 17.2% | -5.6% |
| 2008 | 15.7% | -8.8% |
| 2009 | 16.1% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 18.1% | +12.4% |
| 2012 | 16.7% | -7.7% |
| 2013 | 14.8% | -11.1% |
| 2014 | 17.5% | +17.6% |
| 2015 | 17.8% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 13.4% | -25.0% |
| 2017 | 12.9% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 16.4% | +27.0% |
| 2019 | 13.9% | -15.3% |
| 2020 | 16.1% | +16.5% |
| 2021 | 14.8% | -8.0% |
| 2022 | 12.7% | -14.2% |
| 2023 | 12.5% | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 11.8% | -5.1% |
| 2025 | 14.2% | +19.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.8% | 15.7% | 26.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 15.7% | 12.9% | 18.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 13.7% | 11.8% | 16.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
More education data for Barbados
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 1,592 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of total government spending on essential services in Barbados?
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Barbados was 14.2% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 26.9% in 2001.
- What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2024.
- How does Barbados rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services?
- Barbados ranks 61st out of 170 countries with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of total government spending on essential services rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services, education [UIS methodology] (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).