Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Guyana
Guyana: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.5% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Guyana, 1970–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2018, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Guyana stood at 4.5%.
That represents a change of down 4.6% on the previous year and up 86.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Guyana peaked at 9.4% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 2009.
That places Guyana 84th out of 199 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.9% | 4.3% | 9.4% | 3 |
| 1980s | 7.7% | 7.2% | 8.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 5.3% | 3.6% | 8.6% | 3 |
| 2000s | 5.9% | 2.2% | 8.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 3.7% | 2.2% | 4.7% | 8 |
Countries ranked near Guyana
- 81 Bulgaria 4.5% compare
- 82 Saudi Arabia 4.5% compare
- 83 Seychelles 4.5% compare
- 85 Brunei 4.4% compare
- 86 Cook Islands 4.4% compare
- 87 Oman 4.4% compare
More reference data data for Guyana
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0587 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 2.41 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.41 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.41 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.776 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -0.3342 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 51.21 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 54.97 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -0.1074 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 0.2165 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Guyana?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Guyana was 4.5% in 2018, 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 Guyana?
- The highest recorded value was 9.4% in 1979.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Guyana?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 2009.
- How does Guyana rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Guyana ranks 84th out of 199 countries with data for 2018.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Guyana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 86.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Guyana 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
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.