Trinidad and Tobago — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Trinidad and Tobago, 1980–2023.
Education spending for Trinidad and Tobago was 3.23% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 31 years, from 1980 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 5.87% in 1984. The lowest was 2.44% in 1998 (about 1.3× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.36% per year.
Trinidad and Tobago ranks 124 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 72%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 4.27%, so Trinidad and Tobago sits below it. It peaked in 1984 and has fallen 45% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved down 14%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 28 of 36 economies; British Virgin Islands (3.17%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 45% in 1982. That is 10% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 36th of 63 in 1980 → 24th of 50 in 1990 → 91st of 116 in 2000 → 63rd of 130 in 2010 → 90th of 157 in 2020 → 67th of 107 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 1980 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3.23% | +0.4 pp |
| 2022 | 2.82% | -0.2 pp |
| 2021 | 3.04% | -1.2 pp |
| 2020 | 4.22% | +0.7 pp |
| 2019 | 3.55% | +0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 3.47% | +0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 3.33% | -0.9 pp |
| 2016 | 4.21% | -0.2 pp |
| 2015 | 4.42% | +0.8 pp |
| 2014 | 3.59% | -0.2 pp |
| 2013 | 3.75% | +0.2 pp |
| 2012 | 3.57% | -0.3 pp |
| 2011 | 3.85% | -0.4 pp |
| 2010 | 4.21% | +1.1 pp |
| 2003 | 3.14% | -0.4 pp |
| 2002 | 3.54% | +0.5 pp |
| 2001 | 3.07% | +0.3 pp |
| 2000 | 2.76% | -0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 2.76% | +0.3 pp |
| 1998 | 2.44% | -0.9 pp |
| 1997 | 3.33% | +0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 3.25% | -0.3 pp |
| 1995 | 3.56% | +0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 3.43% | -0.2 pp |
| 1990 | 3.65% | -0.5 pp |
| 1989 | 4.2% | -1.6 pp |
| 1985 | 5.77% | -0.1 pp |
| 1984 | 5.87% | +0.1 pp |
| 1983 | 5.77% | +0.3 pp |
| 1982 | 5.46% | +1.7 pp |
| 1980 | 3.77% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Trinidad and Tobago’s Education spending in 1982?
5.46% (1982). 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 Trinidad and Tobago’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1980 and 2023 the series was shrinking overall: -14.2% in total — about 0.4% 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: 3.23%; 2022: 2.82%; 2021: 3.04%; 2020: 4.22%; 2019: 3.55%. 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.