Barbados — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Barbados, 1971–2024.
Education spending for Barbados was 3.56% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 31 years, from 1971 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 7.52% in 1974. Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -1.03% per year.
Barbados ranks 113 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 66%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 4.27%, so Barbados sits below it. It peaked in 1974 and has fallen 53% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved down 34%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 24 of 36 economies; Paraguay (3.53%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 37% in 2018. That is 18% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 6th of 53 in 1971 → 42nd of 116 in 2000 → 21st of 130 in 2010 → 100th of 157 in 2020 → 29th of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1971 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3.56% | -0.2 pp |
| 2023 | 3.78% | -0.4 pp |
| 2022 | 4.14% | -0.4 pp |
| 2021 | 4.5% | +0.6 pp |
| 2020 | 3.87% | +0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 3.72% | -1.7 pp |
| 2018 | 5.4% | +1.4 pp |
| 2017 | 3.96% | -0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 4.2% | -1.0 pp |
| 2015 | 5.16% | -0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 5.36% | +0.9 pp |
| 2013 | 4.5% | -0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 4.59% | -1.5 pp |
| 2010 | 6.05% | +0.9 pp |
| 2009 | 5.11% | +0.2 pp |
| 2008 | 4.92% | -0.3 pp |
| 2007 | 5.22% | -0.4 pp |
| 2005 | 5.67% | -0.4 pp |
| 2004 | 6.02% | -0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 6.25% | +0.4 pp |
| 2002 | 5.88% | -0.2 pp |
| 2001 | 6.06% | +1.3 pp |
| 2000 | 4.72% | +0.4 pp |
| 1999 | 4.34% | -2.3 pp |
| 1991 | 6.64% | +0.1 pp |
| 1977 | 6.52% | +0.6 pp |
| 1976 | 5.94% | -1.6 pp |
| 1974 | 7.52% | +0.8 pp |
| 1973 | 6.72% | -0.1 pp |
| 1972 | 6.79% | +0.6 pp |
| 1971 | 6.15% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Barbados’s Education spending in 1972?
6.79% (1972). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Barbados’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1971 and 2024 the series was shrinking overall: -42.2% in total — about 1.0% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2024: 3.56%; 2023: 3.78%; 2022: 4.14%; 2021: 4.5%; 2020: 3.87%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.