Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in East Timor
East Timor: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in East Timor, 2008–2023
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 East Timor is 5.2%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 76.2% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in East Timor peaked at 12.9% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2021.
That places East Timor 53rd out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.8% | 8.7% | 12.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 7.6% | 4.2% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 3.0% | 5.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
More reference data data for East Timor
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.2219 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 2.71 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.71 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.71 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.634 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -0.6257 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 46.2 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 62.9 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 0.3455 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 0.526 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in East Timor?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in East Timor was 5.2% 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 East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 12.9% in 2009.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2021.
- How does East Timor rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- East Timor ranks 53rd out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Timor 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.