Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Bhutan
Bhutan: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Bhutan, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Bhutan stood at 5.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.7% on the previous year and up 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Bhutan peaked at 7.5% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1972.
Bhutan ranks 33rd of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.5% | 1.7% | 3.5% | 5 |
| 2000s | 5.5% | 4.4% | 6.8% | 6 |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 3.8% | 6.9% | 9 |
| 2020s | 6.3% | 5.5% | 7.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More reference data data for Bhutan
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0314 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.46 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.46 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.46 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.698 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 70.57 0-100 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 0.7903 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 0.4011 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 63.87 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 89.02 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Bhutan?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Bhutan was 5.8% 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 7.5% in 2022.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1972.
- How does Bhutan rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Bhutan ranks 33rd out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan 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 — 24 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.