El Salvador — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for El Salvador, 1975–2024.
Education spending for El Salvador was 3.32% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 26 years, from 1975 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 4.66% in 2009. The lowest was 0.90% in 1975 (about 3.7× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 2.69% per year.
El Salvador ranks 121 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 70%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 4.27%, so El Salvador sits below it. It peaked in 2009 and has fallen 29% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved down 13%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 27 of 36 economies; Trinidad and Tobago (3.23%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 182% in 1998. That is 7% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1975 level: doubled by 1998. Doubling roughly every 26 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 54th of 54 in 1975 → 87th of 116 in 2000 → 67th of 130 in 2010 → 107th of 157 in 2020 → 31st of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1975 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3.32% | +0.1 pp |
| 2023 | 3.19% | -0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 3.27% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 3.58% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 3.66% | +0.3 pp |
| 2019 | 3.39% | -0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 3.61% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 3.73% | -0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 3.83% | -0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 3.91% | +0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 3.82% | +0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 3.8% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 3.71% | -0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 3.9% | -0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 4.05% | -0.6 pp |
| 2009 | 4.66% | +0.2 pp |
| 2008 | 4.46% | +0.8 pp |
| 2007 | 3.61% | +0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 3.49% | +0.3 pp |
| 2005 | 3.18% | +0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 3.13% | -0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 3.24% | +0.4 pp |
| 2000 | 2.84% | +0.3 pp |
| 1999 | 2.56% | +0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 2.55% | +1.6 pp |
| 1975 | 0.9% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was El Salvador’s Education spending in 1998?
2.55% (1998). 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 El Salvador’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1975 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +266.7% 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: 2024: 3.32%; 2023: 3.19%; 2022: 3.27%; 2021: 3.58%; 2020: 3.66%. 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.