Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Guatemala

Guatemala: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
3.1%
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
148th
of 199 countries
All-time high
3.3%
in 2020
All-time low
1.4%
in 1994
Years of data
25
1970–2024

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Guatemala, 1970–2024

01231970199720241970: 1.9 % of GDP1971: 2 % of GDP1976: 1.6 % of GDP1993: 1.7 % of GDP1994: 1.4 % of GDP1995: 1.6 % of GDP1996: 1.6 % of GDP2006: 3 % of GDP2007: 3.1 % of GDP2008: 3.2 % of GDP2010: 2.8 % of GDP2011: 3 % of GDP2012: 3 % of GDP2013: 2.9 % of GDP2014: 3 % of GDP2015: 3 % of GDP2016: 2.9 % of GDP2017: 3 % of GDP2018: 3.1 % of GDP2019: 3.2 % of GDP2020: 3.3 % of GDP2021: 3.1 % of GDP2022: 3.2 % of GDP2023: 3.1 % of GDP2024: 3.1 % of GDP

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 Guatemala stood at 3.1%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Guatemala peaked at 3.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1994.

Guatemala ranks 148th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.8% 1.6% 2.0% 3
1990s 1.6% 1.4% 1.7% 4
2000s 3.1% 3.0% 3.2% 3
2010s 3.0% 2.8% 3.2% 10
2020s 3.2% 3.1% 3.3% 5

Countries ranked near Guatemala

  1. 145 Antigua and Barbuda 3.1% compare
  2. 146 Turkey 3.1% compare
  3. 147 Albania 3.1% compare
  4. 149 Madagascar 3.0% compare
  5. 150 Turks and Caicos Islands 2.9% compare
  6. 151 Ghana 2.9% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Guatemala

All data for Guatemala →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Guatemala?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Guatemala was 3.1% 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 Guatemala?
The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 2020.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Guatemala?
The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1994.
How does Guatemala rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Guatemala ranks 148th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Guatemala?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Guatemala 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.