Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Suriname

Suriname: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 2.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2.9%
Change on year
down 16.5%
World rank
156th
of 199 countries
All-time high
6.8%
in 2019
All-time low
2.9%
in 2023
Years of data
9
2015–2023

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Suriname, 2015–2023

02462015201920232015: 5.5 % of GDP2016: 5.6 % of GDP2017: 5.5 % of GDP2018: 4.9 % of GDP2019: 6.8 % of GDP2020: 4.6 % of GDP2021: 4.1 % of GDP2022: 3.4 % of GDP2023: 2.9 % of GDP

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

Analysis

Suriname recorded 2.9% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.5% on the previous year and down 48.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Suriname peaked at 6.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 2023.

That places Suriname 156th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 5.7% 4.9% 6.8% 5
2020s 3.8% 2.9% 4.6% 4

Countries ranked near Suriname

  1. 153 San Marino 2.9% compare
  2. 154 Vietnam 2.9% compare
  3. 155 Nicaragua 2.9% compare
  4. 157 Democratic Republic of Congo 2.8% compare
  5. 158 Cameroon 2.8% compare
  6. 159 Iran 2.8% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Suriname

All data for Suriname →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Suriname?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Suriname was 2.9% 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 Suriname?
The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 2019.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Suriname?
The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 2023.
How does Suriname rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Suriname ranks 156th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Suriname?
Over the last ten years it is down 48.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Suriname 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.