Bhutan — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Bhutan, 1971–2023.
Education spending for Bhutan was 5.85% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 24 years, from 1971 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 7.47% in 2022. The lowest was 1.65% in 1972 (about 3.5× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 2.21% per year.
Bhutan ranks 29 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 17%. The median for South Asia is 4.10%, so Bhutan sits above it. It peaked in 2022 and has fallen 22% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved up 13%. Within South Asia it ranks 1 of 6 economies; Maldives (5.17%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 87% in 1975. That is 4% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1971 level: doubled by 2000. Doubling roughly every 32 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 47th of 53 in 1971 → 20th of 116 in 2000 → 73rd of 130 in 2010 → 39th of 157 in 2020 → 13th of 107 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 1971 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5.85% | -1.6 pp |
| 2022 | 7.47% | +0.9 pp |
| 2021 | 6.6% | +1.1 pp |
| 2020 | 5.47% | +1.0 pp |
| 2019 | 4.51% | -2.0 pp |
| 2018 | 6.48% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 6.62% | +0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 6.4% | -0.5 pp |
| 2015 | 6.93% | +1.5 pp |
| 2014 | 5.46% | +0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 5.17% | +0.8 pp |
| 2011 | 4.32% | +0.5 pp |
| 2010 | 3.82% | -0.6 pp |
| 2009 | 4.42% | -0.2 pp |
| 2008 | 4.57% | -2.2 pp |
| 2005 | 6.76% | +0.6 pp |
| 2004 | 6.12% | +0.7 pp |
| 2001 | 5.45% | -0.3 pp |
| 2000 | 5.79% | +2.3 pp |
| 1979 | 3.48% | +1.0 pp |
| 1978 | 2.51% | -0.6 pp |
| 1975 | 3.09% | +1.4 pp |
| 1972 | 1.65% | -0.2 pp |
| 1971 | 1.88% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Bhutan’s Education spending in 1972?
1.65% (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 Bhutan’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1971 and 2023 the series was growing overall: +211.6% in total — about 2.2% 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: 2023: 5.85%; 2022: 7.47%; 2021: 6.6%; 2020: 5.47%; 2019: 4.51%. 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.