Colombia — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Colombia, 1979–2020.
Education spending for Colombia was 5.26% in 2020, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 29 years, from 1979 to 2020. The latest year is also the highest value on record for this series. The lowest was 1.73% in 1980 (about 3.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 2.72% per year.
Colombia ranks 45 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 26%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 4.27%, so Colombia sits above it. Over the last decade (2010–2020) the figure moved up 9%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 10 of 36 economies; Argentina (5.00%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 50% in 1981. That is 14% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1979 level: doubled by 1998. Doubling roughly every 26 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 54th of 56 in 1979 → 60th of 63 in 1980 → 70th of 116 in 2000 → 49th of 130 in 2010 → 53rd of 157 in 2020.
Key figures
Full history — 1979 to 2020
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5.26% | +0.8 pp |
| 2019 | 4.51% | +0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 4.45% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 4.54% | +0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 4.48% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 4.47% | -0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 4.63% | -0.2 pp |
| 2013 | 4.88% | +0.5 pp |
| 2012 | 4.37% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 4.47% | -0.4 pp |
| 2010 | 4.83% | +0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 4.78% | +0.8 pp |
| 2008 | 3.94% | -0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 4.08% | +0.2 pp |
| 2006 | 3.92% | -0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 4.02% | -0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 4.08% | -0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 4.33% | +0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 4.27% | +0.6 pp |
| 2001 | 3.71% | +0.2 pp |
| 2000 | 3.51% | -0.9 pp |
| 1999 | 4.44% | +0.5 pp |
| 1998 | 3.93% | +1.2 pp |
| 1989 | 2.71% | -0.0 pp |
| 1985 | 2.72% | -0.3 pp |
| 1984 | 3% | +0.4 pp |
| 1981 | 2.6% | +0.9 pp |
| 1980 | 1.73% | -0.0 pp |
| 1979 | 1.75% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Colombia’s Education spending in 1980?
1.73% (1980). 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 Colombia’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1979 and 2020 the series was growing overall: +199.9% in total — about 2.7% 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: 2020: 5.26%; 2019: 4.51%; 2018: 4.45%; 2017: 4.54%; 2016: 4.48%. 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.