Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Palau
Palau: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Palau, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Palau is 3.4%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.9% on the previous year and down 1.0% over five years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Palau peaked at 7.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 2023.
Palau ranks 129th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Palau, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.8% | — |
| 2001 | 7.6% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 7.5% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 3.5% | -54.0% |
| 2021 | 3.9% | +13.6% |
| 2022 | 3.6% | -9.3% |
| 2023 | 3.4% | -3.9% |
Palau compared with similar countries
- Palau's 3.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 78% of the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Palau's 3.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.2%, 81% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.7% | 7.5% | 7.8% | 3 |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 3.4% | 3.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Palau
More reference data data for Palau
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Free country 2 (2025)
- Consumer price index 160.77 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 1 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Palau?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Palau was 3.4% in 2023, 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 Palau?
- The highest recorded value was 7.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Palau?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 2023.
- How does Palau rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Palau ranks 129th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Where does this Palau 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.