Puerto Rico (US) — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Puerto Rico (US), 1971–2024.
Education spending for Puerto Rico (US) was 4.27% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 20 years, from 1971 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 7.29% in 1974. The lowest was 2.60% in 2018 (about 1.6× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.99% per year.
Puerto Rico (US) ranks 84 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 49%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 4.27%, so Puerto Rico (US) sits level with it. It peaked in 1974 and has fallen 41% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved down 30%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 18 of 36 economies; Mexico (4.06%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 45% in 2015. That is 14% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 2nd of 53 in 1971 → 85th of 157 in 2020 → 19th of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1971 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4.27% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 4.27% | +0.4 pp |
| 2022 | 3.86% | +0.1 pp |
| 2021 | 3.73% | -0.6 pp |
| 2020 | 4.29% | +1.0 pp |
| 2019 | 3.33% | +0.7 pp |
| 2018 | 2.6% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 2.73% | -0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 2.78% | -0.6 pp |
| 2015 | 3.34% | -2.7 pp |
| 2014 | 6.07% | -0.4 pp |
| 2013 | 6.48% | -0.2 pp |
| 1978 | 6.68% | +0.3 pp |
| 1977 | 6.39% | -0.8 pp |
| 1976 | 7.14% | +0.9 pp |
| 1975 | 6.23% | -1.1 pp |
| 1974 | 7.29% | +0.8 pp |
| 1973 | 6.48% | -0.7 pp |
| 1972 | 7.21% | -0.0 pp |
| 1971 | 7.25% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Puerto Rico (US)’s Education spending in 1972?
7.21% (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 Puerto Rico (US)’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1971 and 2024 the series was shrinking overall: -41.1% 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: 4.27%; 2023: 4.27%; 2022: 3.86%; 2021: 3.73%; 2020: 4.29%. 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.