UNESCO SCIENCE REPORT

Figure 7.4: Trends in higher education in Latin America,
1996–2013
Eleven countries devote more than 1% of GDP to higher education
Expenditure on higher education as a share of GDP, 2013 or closest year (%)
4.47
4.47%
Share of GDP spent on higher
education by Cuba, the highest
in the region
0.29%
Share of GDP spent on higher
education by El Salvador, the
lowest in the region
1.61 1.55
1.43
Cuba -3
1.19 1.14 1.11 1.11 1.08 1.04 1.02 0.96 0.93 0.87
Bolivia -1 Argentina -1
+n/-n = data refer to n years before or after reference year
Venezuela -4
Costa Rica
Uruguay -2
Nicaragua -3
Ecuador -1
Paraguay -1
Honduras
Brazil -1 Chile -1
Mexico -2
Colombia
Panama -1
Peru
0.74
0.55
0.35 0.29
Guatemala
El Salvador -2
The great majority of first-degree graduates in Latin America study social sciences
Distribution of bachelor’s degrees by field of study, 1996–2012 (%)
60
55.84
50
51.77
40
Social sciences
Engineering & technology
Medical sciences
Humanities
Natural & exact sciences
Agricultural sciences
Unassigned
30
23.16
20
14.04
15.33
14.00
10
6.45
4.24
5.66
3.92
2.87
0.00
2.50
0
0.21
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
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