Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in El Salvador

El Salvador: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
3.3%
Change on year
up 4.1%
World rank
134th
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.7%
in 2009
All-time low
0.9%
in 1975
Years of data
26
1975–2024

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in El Salvador, 1975–2024

123451975199920241975: 0.905 % of GDP1998: 2.5 % of GDP1999: 2.6 % of GDP2000: 2.8 % of GDP2002: 3.2 % of GDP2003: 3.1 % of GDP2005: 3.2 % of GDP2006: 3.5 % of GDP2007: 3.6 % of GDP2008: 4.5 % of GDP2009: 4.7 % of GDP2010: 4 % of GDP2011: 3.9 % of GDP2012: 3.7 % of GDP2013: 3.8 % of GDP2014: 3.8 % of GDP2015: 3.9 % of GDP2016: 3.8 % of GDP2017: 3.7 % of GDP2018: 3.6 % of GDP2019: 3.4 % of GDP2020: 3.7 % of GDP2021: 3.6 % of GDP2022: 3.3 % of GDP2023: 3.2 % of GDP2024: 3.3 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

El Salvador recorded 3.3% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.1% on the previous year and down 13.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in El Salvador peaked at 4.7% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1975.

El Salvador ranks 134th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1
1990s 2.6% 2.5% 2.6% 2
2000s 3.6% 2.8% 4.7% 8
2010s 3.8% 3.4% 4.0% 10
2020s 3.4% 3.2% 3.7% 5

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 131 Greece 3.4% compare
  2. 132 Congo 3.3% compare
  3. 133 Japan 3.3% compare
  4. 135 North Macedonia 3.3% compare
  5. 136 Romania 3.3% compare
  6. 137 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3.2% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in El Salvador?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in El Salvador was 3.3% 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 El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 4.7% in 2009.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1975.
How does El Salvador rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
El Salvador ranks 134th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this El Salvador 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.