Trinidad and Tobago's government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) was 12.57% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 0.27 percentage points from 12.31% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 12.57% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 11.72% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 12.31% | 2015 |
| Highest | 15.01% | 1994 |
| Lowest | 0% | 1982 |
| Average since 2016 | 10.65% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 0% | 1982 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Trinidad and Tobago's government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) rose 3.43 percentage points on 2024 (from 9.15% to 12.57%).
Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2024), the average change was −0.14 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.28 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.43 percentage points in 2025 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.11 percentage points in 1998. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% 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
In 2025, Trinidad and Tobago had the 30th highest value of the 58 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Trinidad and Tobago | 12.57% | 2025 |
| World | 13.96% | 2023 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 16.56% | 2024 |
| High income | 12% | 2022 |
Closest to Trinidad and Tobago in the 2025 ranking
What this measures
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.
Limitations: Data on government expenditure on education may refer to spending by the ministry of education only (excluding spending on educational activities by other ministries). In addition, definitions and methods of data on total general government expenditure may differ across countries.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.
All 32 values
| Year | Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 12.57 |
| 2024 | 9.15 |
| 2023 | 9.83 |
| 2022 | 10.41 |
| 2021 | 10.03 |
| 2020 | 11.72 |
| 2019 | 10.46 |
| 2018 | 10.65 |
| 2017 | 9.89 |
| 2016 | 11.79 |
| 2015 |
Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) in nearby economies
- Antigua and Barbuda — 5.87% (2025)
- Argentina — 13.22% (2023)
- Aruba — 10.96% (2021)
- Bahamas, The — 10.62% (2025)
- Barbados — 14.19% (2025)
- Belize — 18.9% (2024)
- Bolivia — 20.16% (2024)
- Brazil — 12.93% (2022)
More education data for Trinidad and Tobago
- Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils — 126,491 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 98.26% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 98.11% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 98.41% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers — 7,693 (2024)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Trinidad and Tobago's government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure)?
- 12.57% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1982?
- It is up 12.57 percentage points from 0% in 1982. The highest value was 15.01% in 1994 and the lowest 0% in 1982.
- How does Trinidad and Tobago rank?
- 30th highest of 58 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure) unusual for Trinidad and Tobago?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GB.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.
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