Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Cook Islands

Cook Islands: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
4.4%
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
86th
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.6%
in 2021
All-time low
2.9%
in 2017
Years of data
9
2014–2023

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Cook Islands, 2014–2023

0123452014201820232014: 4.2 % of GDP2015: 4 % of GDP2016: 4 % of GDP2017: 2.9 % of GDP2018: 4 % of GDP2019: 3.5 % of GDP2020: 3.7 % of GDP2021: 4.6 % of GDP2023: 4.4 % of GDP

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 Cook Islands stood at 4.4%.

That represents a change of down 3.8% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Cook Islands peaked at 4.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 2017.

Cook Islands ranks 86th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 3.8% 2.9% 4.2% 6
2020s 4.2% 3.7% 4.6% 3

Countries ranked near Cook Islands

  1. 83 Seychelles 4.5% compare
  2. 84 Guyana 4.5% compare
  3. 85 Brunei 4.4% compare
  4. 87 Oman 4.4% compare
  5. 88 Peru 4.4% compare
  6. 89 Cape Verde 4.3% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Cook Islands

All data for Cook Islands →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Cook Islands?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Cook Islands was 4.4% 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 Cook Islands?
The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 2021.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Cook Islands?
The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 2017.
How does Cook Islands rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Cook Islands ranks 86th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Cook Islands?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Cook Islands 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

Indicator
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,140 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.