Guatemala — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Guatemala, 1970–2024.
Education spending for Guatemala was 3.08% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 25 years, from 1970 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 3.29% in 2020. The lowest was 1.44% in 1994 (about 2.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.94% per year.
Guatemala ranks 133 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 77%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 4.27%, so Guatemala sits below it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 7% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved up 3%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 31 of 36 economies; Turks and Caicos Islands (2.95%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 94% in 2006.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 74 years at that pace.
World ranking. Slipped: 27th of 31 in 1970 → 98th of 130 in 2010 → 119th of 157 in 2020 → 34th of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1970 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3.08% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 3.11% | -0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 3.21% | +0.1 pp |
| 2021 | 3.09% | -0.2 pp |
| 2020 | 3.29% | +0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 3.19% | +0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 3.13% | +0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 2.95% | +0.0 pp |
| 2016 | 2.94% | -0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 3.03% | +0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 2.99% | +0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 2.89% | -0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 3.01% | +0.0 pp |
| 2011 | 2.97% | +0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 2.85% | -0.4 pp |
| 2008 | 3.24% | +0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 3.09% | +0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 3.03% | +1.5 pp |
| 1996 | 1.56% | -0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 1.6% | +0.2 pp |
| 1994 | 1.44% | -0.2 pp |
| 1993 | 1.67% | +0.0 pp |
| 1976 | 1.63% | -0.4 pp |
| 1971 | 2.03% | +0.2 pp |
| 1970 | 1.86% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Guatemala’s Education spending in 1971?
2.03% (1971). 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 Guatemala’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1970 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +65.5% in total — about 0.9% 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: 3.08%; 2023: 3.11%; 2022: 3.21%; 2021: 3.09%; 2020: 3.29%. 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.