Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Aruba
Aruba: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.6% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Aruba, 1998–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2021, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Aruba stood at 3.6%. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
The figure is down 18.4% on the previous year and down 38.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Aruba peaked at 6.8% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2021.
That places Aruba 122nd out of 199 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Aruba, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 4.8% | — |
| 1999 | 4.4% | -7.7% |
| 2000 | 4.7% | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 4.8% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 4.9% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 4.4% | -10.6% |
| 2005 | 4.6% | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 4.7% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 4.8% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 5.8% | +20.1% |
| 2010 | 6.8% | +16.5% |
| 2011 | 5.9% | -12.4% |
| 2012 | 6.3% | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 6.4% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 5.9% | -9.2% |
| 2015 | 5.9% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 5.5% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 4.5% | -18.9% |
| 2018 | 4.5% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 4.4% | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | -18.4% |
Aruba compared with similar countries
- Aruba's 3.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 82% of the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Aruba's 3.6% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.1%, 89% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.6% | 4.4% | 4.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.8% | 4.4% | 5.8% | 8 |
| 2010s | 5.6% | 4.4% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Aruba
More reference data data for Aruba
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 1.79 (2026)
- Consumer price index 109.53 2010 = 100 (2019)
- Foreign aid received as grants and concessional loans 146,128 constant 2024 US$ (1999)
- Foreign aid received -13.41 million constant 2024 US$ (1999)
- Foreign aid received from governments and private foundations -13.41 million constant 2024 US$ (1999)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Aruba?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Aruba was 3.6% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Aruba?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 2010.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Aruba?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2021.
- How does Aruba rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Aruba ranks 122nd out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Aruba?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Aruba data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.