Colombia's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) was 5.26% in 2020, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 0.43 percentage points from 4.83% in 2010.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 5.26% | 2020 |
| Five years earlier | 4.47% | 2015 |
| Ten years earlier | 4.83% | 2010 |
| Highest | 5.26% | 2020 |
| Lowest | 1.73% | 1980 |
| Average since 2011 | 4.6% | 2011–2020 |
| First recorded | 1.75% | 1979 |
What the numbers say
In 2020, Colombia's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) rose 0.75 percentage points on 2019 (from 4.51% to 5.26%).
Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1980 to 2019), the average change was +0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.4 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.87 percentage points in 1981 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.93 percentage points in 2000. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 15% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 5.26% | 2020 |
| World | 3.57% | 2023 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 3.82% | 2023 |
| Upper middle income | 3.62% | 2023 |
Closest to Colombia in the 2020 ranking
- Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 1st of 4: 11.56%
- Botswana — 2nd of 4: 8.06%
- Qatar — 4th of 4: 3.23%
What this measures
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.
Limitations: Data may refer to spending by the ministry of education only (excluding spending on educational activities by other ministries).
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.
All 29 values
| Year | Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 5.26 |
| 2019 | 4.51 |
| 2018 | 4.45 |
| 2017 | 4.54 |
| 2016 | 4.48 |
| 2015 | 4.47 |
| 2014 | 4.63 |
| 2013 | 4.88 |
| 2012 | 4.37 |
| 2011 | 4.47 |
| 2010 |
Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in nearby economies
- Antigua and Barbuda — 3.11% (2023)
- Argentina — 5% (2023)
- Aruba — 3.62% (2021)
- Bahamas, The — 2.74% (2023)
- Barbados — 3.56% (2024)
- Belize — 4.62% (2024)
- Bolivia — 7.54% (2024)
- Brazil — 5.62% (2022)
- British Virgin Islands — 3.17% (2023)
- Chile
More education data for Colombia
- Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils — 4.14 million (2022)
- Primary education, teachers — 180,781 (2022)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.97 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils — 4.85 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils (% female) — 48.13% (2018)
- Pupil-teacher ratio, primary — 23.3 (2018)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Colombia's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)?
- 5.26% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1979?
- It is up 3.51 percentage points from 1.75% in 1979. The highest value was 5.26% in 2020 and the lowest 1.73% in 1980.
- Is the latest change in government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) unusual for Colombia?
- In 2020, Colombia's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) rose 0.75 percentage points on 2019 (from 4.51% to 5.26%). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1980 to 2019), the average change was +0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.4 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
- Where does this data come from?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in