Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Thailand
Thailand: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 2.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Thailand, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Thailand is 2.5%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 3.5% on the previous year and down 38.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Thailand peaked at 5.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1974.
Thailand ranks 166th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.8% | 2.1% | 3.2% | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 2.5% | 3.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.8% | 3.0% | 4.8% | 8 |
| 2000s | 4.1% | 3.5% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.0% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More reference data data for Thailand
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0127 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.21 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.21 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.21 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.798 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -0.2155 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 53.26 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -0.5598 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 47.05 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 54.22 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Thailand?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Thailand was 2.5% 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 Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 5.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1974.
- How does Thailand rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Thailand ranks 166th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Thailand 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.