Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Argentina

Argentina: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP was 1.2% in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
1.2%
Change on year
up 6.8%
World rank
42nd
of 160 countries
All-time high
1.2%
in 2017
All-time low
0.3%
in 1982
Years of data
39
1970–2017

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Argentina, 1970–2017

0.20.40.60.811.21970199320171970: 0.35 %1972: 0.374 %1973: 0.425 %1974: 0.368 %1975: 0.566 %1976: 0.321 %1977: 0.345 %1978: 0.42 %1979: 0.548 %1980: 0.568 %1982: 0.255 %1983: 0.301 %1984: 0.474 %1985: 0.476 %1986: 0.419 %1987: 0.624 %1989: 0.499 %1990: 0.505 %1996: 0.78 %1998: 0.855 %1999: 0.775 %2000: 0.831 %2001: 0.828 %2002: 0.703 %2003: 0.572 %2004: 0.6 %2005: 0.627 %2006: 0.733 %2007: 0.792 %2008: 0.856 %2009: 1 %2010: 0.997 %2011: 1 %2012: 1.1 %2013: 1.1 %2014: 1.1 %2015: 1.2 %2016: 1.1 %2017: 1.2 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2017, government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Argentina stood at 1.2%. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.8% on the previous year and up 52.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Argentina peaked at 1.2% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1982.

Argentina ranks 42nd of 160 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Argentina, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%) in Argentina, 1970 to 2017.
Year % Change
1970 0.3%
1972 0.4% +7.0%
1973 0.4% +13.6%
1974 0.4% -13.4%
1975 0.6% +53.9%
1976 0.3% -43.4%
1977 0.3% +7.6%
1978 0.4% +21.9%
1979 0.5% +30.4%
1980 0.6% +3.7%
1982 0.3% -55.2%
1983 0.3% +18.4%
1984 0.5% +57.2%
1985 0.5% +0.5%
1986 0.4% -11.9%
1987 0.6% +48.8%
1989 0.5% -20.0%
1990 0.5% +1.2%
1996 0.8% +54.3%
1998 0.9% +9.6%
1999 0.8% -9.3%
2000 0.8% +7.2%
2001 0.8% -0.3%
2002 0.7% -15.1%
2003 0.6% -18.6%
2004 0.6% +4.8%
2005 0.6% +4.5%
2006 0.7% +16.9%
2007 0.8% +8.1%
2008 0.9% +8.0%
2009 1.0% +21.9%
2010 1.0% -4.4%
2011 1.0% +3.1%
2012 1.1% +3.7%
2013 1.1% +3.2%
2014 1.1% -0.6%
2015 1.2% +8.4%
2016 1.1% -4.8%
2017 1.2% +6.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.4% 0.3% 0.6% 9
1980s 0.5% 0.3% 0.6% 8
1990s 0.7% 0.5% 0.9% 4
2000s 0.8% 0.6% 1.0% 10
2010s 1.1% 1.0% 1.2% 8

Countries ranked near Argentina

  1. 39 Uruguay 1.2% compare
  2. 40 France 1.2% compare
  3. 41 Kuwait 1.2% compare
  4. 43 Nicaragua 1.2% compare
  5. 44 Cyprus 1.2% compare
  6. 45 Estonia 1.1% compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Argentina

All data for Argentina →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Argentina?
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Argentina was 1.2% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Argentina?
The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 2017.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Argentina?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1982.
How does Argentina rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp?
Argentina ranks 42nd out of 160 countries with data for 2017.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp rising or falling in Argentina?
Over the last ten years it is up 52.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Argentina data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Argentina. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/argentina/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
160 places, 3,221 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on tertiary education (current, capital, and transfers), expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Divide total government expenditure for a given level of education (ex. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) by the GDP, and multiply by 100. A higher percentage of GDP spent on education shows a higher government priority for education, but also a higher capacity of the government to raise revenues for public spending, in relation to the size of the country's economy. When interpreting this indicator however, one should keep in mind in some countries, the private sector and/or households may fund a higher proportion of total funding for education, thus making government expenditure appear lower than in other countries. Limitations: In some instances data on total public expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/