Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Belize
Belize: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Belize, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Belize recorded 4.6% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.2% on the previous year and down 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Belize peaked at 6.1% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 2000.
That places Belize 75th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Belize, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 4.0% | — |
| 2000 | 3.7% | -8.7% |
| 2001 | 4.2% | +15.0% |
| 2003 | 3.9% | -7.9% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 4.3% | +7.2% |
| 2009 | 4.8% | +11.7% |
| 2010 | 5.2% | +9.2% |
| 2011 | 5.5% | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 5.5% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 5.1% | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 5.1% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 5.4% | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 5.7% | +6.9% |
| 2017 | 6.0% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 6.1% | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 6.0% | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 5.2% | -12.6% |
| 2021 | 6.0% | +14.4% |
| 2022 | 4.6% | -22.8% |
| 2023 | 4.2% | -8.1% |
| 2024 | 4.6% | +9.2% |
Belize compared with similar countries
- Belize's 4.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.2%, 1.1× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Belize's 4.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.1%, 1.1× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 4.2% | 3.7% | 4.8% | 6 |
| 2010s | 5.6% | 5.1% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.9% | 4.2% | 6.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belize
More reference data data for Belize
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0139 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0337 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0813 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0041 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0813 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0467 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0206 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1856 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.399 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0225 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Belize?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Belize was 4.6% 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 Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 6.1% in 2018.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 2000.
- How does Belize rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Belize ranks 75th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belize 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
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.