Barbados's children out of school (% of primary school age) was 17.6% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 12.3 percentage points from 5.3% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 17.6% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 6.35% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 5.3% | 2014 |
| Highest | 17.6% | 2024 |
| Lowest | 0.43% | 2000 |
| Average since 2015 | 8.94% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 12.11% | 1971 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Barbados' children out of school (% of primary school age) rose 3.11 percentage points on 2023 (from 14.48% to 17.6%).
Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2023), the average change was +0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.64 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.11 percentage points in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.44 percentage points in 1977. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.37 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 87% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2024, Barbados had the 14th highest value of the 101 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Barbados | 17.6% | 2024 |
| High income | 2.5% | 2025 |
Closest to Barbados in the 2024 ranking
- Ethiopia — 11th of 101: 22.46%
- Syrian Arab Republic — 12th of 101: 21.81%
- Comoros — 13th of 101: 20.65%
- Tanzania — 15th of 101: 16.37%
- Suriname — 16th of 101: 16.22%
- Bahamas, The — 17th of 101: 15.88%
What this measures
Children out of school are the percentage of primary-school-age children who are not enrolled in primary or secondary school. Children in the official primary age group that are in preprimary education should be considered out of school.
Limitations: The administrative data used in the calculation of the rate of out-of-school children are based on enrolment at a specific date which can bias the results by either counting enrolled children who never attend school or by omitting those who enroll after the reference date for reporting enrolment data. Furthermore, children who drop out of school after the reference date are not counted as out of school. Discrepancies between enrolment and population data from different sources can also result in over- or underestimates of the rate.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 37 values
| Year | Children out of school (% of primary school age) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 17.6 |
| 2023 | 14.48 |
| 2022 | 12.09 |
| 2021 | 9.34 |
| 2020 | 7.67 |
| 2019 | 6.35 |
| 2018 | 6.44 |
| 2017 | 6.81 |
| 2016 | 3.94 |
| 2015 | 4.66 |
| 2014 |
Children out of school (% of primary school age) in nearby economies
- Antigua and Barbuda — 1.71% (2023)
- Argentina — 0.73% (2023)
- Bahamas, The — 15.88% (2024)
- Belize — 10.68% (2024)
- Bolivia — 9.25% (2024)
- Brazil — 2.19% (2024)
- British Virgin Islands — 26.97% (2024)
- Cayman Islands — 5.17% (2024)
- Chile — 2.12% (2024)
- Colombia
More education data for Barbados
- Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils — 16,314 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 83.94% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 83.04% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 84.8% (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils — 18,457 (2024)
- School enrollment, secondary (% gross) — 104.37% (2024)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Barbados's children out of school (% of primary school age)?
- 17.6% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1971?
- It is up 5.49 percentage points from 12.11% in 1971. The highest value was 17.6% in 2024 and the lowest 0.43% in 2000.
- How does Barbados rank?
- 14th highest of 101 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in children out of school (% of primary school age) unusual for Barbados?
- In 2024, Barbados' children out of school (% of primary school age) rose 3.11 percentage points on 2023 (from 14.48% to 17.6%). Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2023), the average change was +0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.64 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.UNER.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in