Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 4.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
4.3%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
95th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7.3%
in 1974
All-time low
2.6%
in 2018
Years of data
20
1971–2024

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Puerto Rico, 1971–2024

024681971199720241971: 7.3 % of GDP1972: 7.2 % of GDP1973: 6.5 % of GDP1974: 7.3 % of GDP1975: 6.2 % of GDP1976: 7.1 % of GDP1977: 6.4 % of GDP1978: 6.7 % of GDP2013: 6.5 % of GDP2014: 6.1 % of GDP2015: 3.3 % of GDP2016: 2.8 % of GDP2017: 2.7 % of GDP2018: 2.6 % of GDP2019: 3.3 % of GDP2020: 4.3 % of GDP2021: 3.7 % of GDP2022: 3.9 % of GDP2023: 4.3 % of GDP2024: 4.3 % 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 Puerto Rico stood at 4.3%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 29.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Puerto Rico peaked at 7.3% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 2018.

Puerto Rico ranks 95th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 6.8% 6.2% 7.3% 8
2010s 3.9% 2.6% 6.5% 7
2020s 4.1% 3.7% 4.3% 5

Countries ranked near Puerto Rico

  1. 92 Poland 4.3% compare
  2. 93 Czechia 4.3% compare
  3. 94 Turkmenistan 4.3% compare
  4. 96 Lithuania 4.3% compare
  5. 97 Mauritius 4.2% compare
  6. 98 Fiji 4.2% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Puerto Rico

All data for Puerto Rico →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Puerto Rico?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Puerto Rico was 4.3% 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 Puerto Rico?
The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 1974.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Puerto Rico?
The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2018.
How does Puerto Rico rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Puerto Rico ranks 95th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Puerto Rico 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.