Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ecuador
Ecuador: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ecuador, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ecuador stood at 3.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 29.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ecuador peaked at 6.9% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2000.
That places Ecuador 119th 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 26 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.0% | — |
| 1971 | 1.9% | -6.2% |
| 1977 | 2.4% | +28.7% |
| 1984 | 4.2% | +73.8% |
| 1985 | 5.2% | +24.5% |
| 1986 | 6.9% | +31.3% |
| 1995 | 2.0% | -70.9% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | +9.9% |
| 1999 | 1.5% | -29.5% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | -22.3% |
| 2009 | 4.5% | +275.6% |
| 2010 | 4.6% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 4.7% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 4.7% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 4.9% | +6.0% |
| 2014 | 5.2% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 5.1% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 4.5% | -12.6% |
| 2017 | 4.6% | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 4.6% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | -8.2% |
| 2020 | 4.3% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | -14.2% |
| 2022 | 3.6% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 3.8% | +5.7% |
| 2024 | 3.7% | -3.4% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 3.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.2%, 87% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 3.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.1%, 91% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ecuador changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +275.6% | 1.2% | 4.5% |
| 1984 | +73.8% | 2.4% | 4.2% |
| 1995 | -70.9% | 6.9% | 2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 3 |
| 1980s | 5.4% | 4.2% | 6.9% | 3 |
| 1990s | 1.9% | 1.5% | 2.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 1.2% | 4.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 4.7% | 4.2% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.6% | 4.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
- 116 Dominican Republic 3.8% compare
- 117 Djibouti 3.8% compare
- 118 Luxembourg 3.7% compare
- 120 Nepal 3.7% compare
- 121 Azerbaijan 3.7% compare
- 122 Aruba 3.6% compare
More reference data data for Ecuador
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9379 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1826 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9943 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ecuador?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Ecuador was 3.7% 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 Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 6.9% in 1986.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2000.
- How does Ecuador rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Ecuador ranks 119th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ecuador 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.