Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Kiribati

Kiribati: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 16.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
16.4%
Change on year
up 10.9%
World rank
1st
of 199 countries
All-time high
16.4%
in 2023
All-time low
3.9%
in 1974
Years of data
18
1970–2023

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Kiribati, 1970–2023

510151970199620231970: 5.9 % of GDP1971: 5.3 % of GDP1974: 3.9 % of GDP1999: 9.7 % of GDP2000: 10 % of GDP2001: 11.6 % of GDP2012: 12.5 % of GDP2013: 12.1 % of GDP2014: 11.5 % of GDP2015: 10.8 % of GDP2016: 11.6 % of GDP2017: 11.5 % of GDP2018: 12.9 % of GDP2019: 14.5 % of GDP2020: 16.2 % of GDP2021: 14 % of GDP2022: 14.8 % of GDP2023: 16.4 % 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 Kiribati stood at 16.4%. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

The figure is up 10.9% on the previous year and up 35.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Kiribati peaked at 16.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 1974.

That places Kiribati 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.0% 3.9% 5.9% 3
1990s 9.7% 9.7% 9.7% 1
2000s 10.8% 10.0% 11.6% 2
2010s 12.2% 10.8% 14.5% 8
2020s 15.3% 14.0% 16.4% 4

Countries ranked near Kiribati

  1. 2 Tuvalu 12.8% compare
  2. 3 Micronesia (country) 11.6% compare
  3. 4 Namibia 9.1% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Kiribati

All data for Kiribati →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Kiribati?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Kiribati was 16.4% 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 Kiribati?
The highest recorded value was 16.4% in 2023.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Kiribati?
The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 1974.
How does Kiribati rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Kiribati ranks 1st out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Kiribati?
Over the last ten years it is up 35.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kiribati 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.