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Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Barbados

Barbados: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
3.6%
Change on year
down 5.8%
World rank
124th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.5%
in 1974
All-time low
3.6%
in 2024
Years of data
31
1971–2024

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Barbados, 1971–2024

024681971199720241971: 6.2 % of GDP1972: 6.8 % of GDP1973: 6.7 % of GDP1974: 7.5 % of GDP1976: 5.9 % of GDP1977: 6.5 % of GDP1991: 6.6 % of GDP1999: 4.3 % of GDP2000: 4.7 % of GDP2001: 6.1 % of GDP2002: 5.9 % of GDP2003: 6.2 % of GDP2004: 6 % of GDP2005: 5.7 % of GDP2007: 5.2 % of GDP2008: 4.9 % of GDP2009: 5.1 % of GDP2010: 6.1 % of GDP2012: 4.6 % of GDP2013: 4.5 % of GDP2014: 5.4 % of GDP2015: 5.2 % of GDP2016: 4.2 % of GDP2017: 4 % of GDP2018: 5.4 % of GDP2019: 3.7 % of GDP2020: 3.9 % of GDP2021: 4.5 % of GDP2022: 4.1 % of GDP2023: 3.8 % of GDP2024: 3.6 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Barbados recorded 3.6% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.

The figure is down 5.8% on the previous year and down 33.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Barbados peaked at 7.5% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2024.

Barbados ranks 124th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 6.6% 5.9% 7.5% 6
1990s 5.5% 4.3% 6.6% 2
2000s 5.5% 4.7% 6.2% 9
2010s 4.8% 3.7% 6.1% 9
2020s 4.0% 3.6% 4.5% 5

Countries ranked near Barbados

  1. 121 Azerbaijan 3.7% compare
  2. 122 Aruba 3.6% compare
  3. 123 Cote d'Ivoire 3.6% compare
  4. 125 Paraguay 3.5% compare
  5. 126 Malaysia 3.5% compare
  6. 127 Macao 3.5% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Barbados

All data for Barbados →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Barbados?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Barbados was 3.6% in 2024, 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 Barbados?
The highest recorded value was 7.5% in 1974.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Barbados?
The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2024.
How does Barbados rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Barbados ranks 124th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Barbados?
Over the last ten years it is down 33.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Barbados 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.

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,140 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.