Uruguay: Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education)

Key figures

Since 1979 it is up 3.97 percentage points from 20.82% in 1979. The World Bank has no value for 19 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2017, Uruguay's expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education) fell 0.32 percentage points on 2016 (from 25.11% to 24.8%).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1980 to 2016), the average change was −0.39 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.83 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.47 percentage points in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.49 percentage points in 1996. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2017, Uruguay had the 5th highest value of the 20 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.

Closest to Uruguay in the 2017 ranking

• Barbados — 2nd of 20: 28.54%
• Chile — 3rd of 20: 25.15%
• Ukraine — 4th of 20: 24.99%
• Niger — 6th of 20: 23.26%
• Pakistan — 7th of 20: 22.11%
• Argentina — 8th of 20: 22.08%

What this measures

Expenditure on tertiary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

Limitations: Data disaggregated by level of education are estimates in some instances. It is often difficult to separate lower from upper secondary education expenditure, or pre-primary from primary.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 20 values

Expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 22.08% (2017)
• Aruba — 18.39% (2016)
• Barbados — 28.54% (2017)
• Belize — 9.47% (2017)
• Brazil — 21.45% (2015)
• Chile — 25.15% (2017)
• Colombia — 23.31% (2018)
• Costa Rica — 23.14% (2018)

More education data for Uruguay

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 287,527 (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 104.53% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 103.96% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 105.08% (2023)
• Secondary education, pupils — 337,808 (2023)
• School enrollment, secondary (% gross) — 119.11% (2023)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Uruguay's expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education)?

24.8% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1979?

It is up 3.97 percentage points from 20.82% in 1979. The highest value was 26.83% in 2011 and the lowest 17.79% in 1980.

How does Uruguay rank?

5th highest of 20 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education) unusual for Uruguay?

In 2017, Uruguay's expenditure on tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education) fell 0.32 percentage points on 2016 (from 25.11% to 24.8%). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1980 to 2016), the average change was −0.39 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.83 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.TERT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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.