Uruguay — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Uruguay, 1979–2023.
Education spending for Uruguay was 4.76% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 31 years, from 1979 to 2023. The latest year is also the highest value on record for this series. The lowest was 1.99% in 1979 (about 2.4× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 2.01% per year.
Uruguay ranks 63 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 37%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 4.27%, so Uruguay sits above it. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved up 12%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 13 of 36 economies; Belize (4.62%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 45% in 2011. That is 7% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1979 level: doubled by 2011. Doubling roughly every 35 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 53rd of 56 in 1979 → 54th of 63 in 1980 → 99th of 116 in 2000 → 69th of 157 in 2020 → 31st of 107 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 1979 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4.76% | +0.3 pp |
| 2022 | 4.48% | +0.0 pp |
| 2021 | 4.46% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 4.55% | -0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 4.63% | +0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 4.6% | +0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 4.42% | +0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 4.36% | +0.2 pp |
| 2015 | 4.21% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 4.27% | +0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 4.24% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 4.09% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 4.15% | +1.3 pp |
| 2006 | 2.86% | +0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 2.71% | +0.2 pp |
| 2004 | 2.5% | +0.4 pp |
| 2003 | 2.07% | -0.3 pp |
| 2002 | 2.32% | -0.5 pp |
| 2001 | 2.8% | +0.4 pp |
| 2000 | 2.42% | +0.2 pp |
| 1998 | 2.24% | -0.6 pp |
| 1996 | 2.87% | +0.3 pp |
| 1995 | 2.52% | +0.2 pp |
| 1994 | 2.27% | -0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 2.41% | -0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 2.48% | -0.6 pp |
| 1986 | 3.1% | +0.5 pp |
| 1985 | 2.57% | +0.2 pp |
| 1984 | 2.37% | +0.2 pp |
| 1980 | 2.16% | +0.2 pp |
| 1979 | 1.99% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Uruguay’s Education spending in 1980?
2.16% (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 Uruguay’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1979 and 2023 the series was growing overall: +139.8% in total — about 2.0% 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: 2023: 4.76%; 2022: 4.48%; 2021: 4.46%; 2020: 4.55%; 2019: 4.63%. 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.