Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Puerto Rico, 1971–2024
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 Puerto Rico stood at 4.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 29.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Puerto Rico peaked at 7.3% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 2018.
Puerto Rico ranks 95th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 7.3% | — |
| 1972 | 7.2% | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 6.5% | -10.2% |
| 1974 | 7.3% | +12.5% |
| 1975 | 6.2% | -14.5% |
| 1976 | 7.1% | +14.6% |
| 1977 | 6.4% | -10.5% |
| 1978 | 6.7% | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 6.5% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 6.1% | -6.3% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | -45.0% |
| 2016 | 2.8% | -16.7% |
| 2017 | 2.7% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 2.6% | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | +27.8% |
| 2020 | 4.3% | +28.8% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | -13.0% |
| 2022 | 3.9% | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 4.3% | +10.6% |
| 2024 | 4.3% | +0.0% |
Puerto Rico compared with similar countries
- Puerto Rico's 4.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 97% of the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Puerto Rico's 4.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.8% | 6.2% | 7.3% | 8 |
| 2010s | 3.9% | 2.6% | 6.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 4.1% | 3.7% | 4.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
More reference data data for Puerto Rico
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.2501 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1709 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Agricultural 326.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 1,009 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 34.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Burning - Crop residues 0.0011 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Enteric Fermentation 34.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 36.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Manure Management 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Burning - Crop 0.0077 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Puerto Rico?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Puerto Rico was 4.3% 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 Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 1974.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2018.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Puerto Rico ranks 95th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Puerto Rico 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 — 20 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.