British Virgin Islands: Children out of school (% of primary school age)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, British Virgin Islands' children out of school (% of primary school age) rose 11.56 percentage points on 2023 (from 15.41% to 26.97%).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2023), the average change was −0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.26 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 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 18.34 percentage points in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.96 percentage points in 2020. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 22% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, British Virgin Islands had the 6th 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.

Closest to British Virgin Islands in the 2024 ranking

• Burkina Faso — 2nd of 101: 34.29%
• Lesotho — 3rd of 101: 32.17%
• Solomon Islands — 4th of 101: 30.14%
• Honduras — 6th of 101: 26.62%
• Chad — 7th of 101: 24.8%
• Senegal — 8th of 101: 24.53%

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 31 values

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)
• Barbados — 17.6% (2024)
• Belize — 10.68% (2024)
• Bolivia — 9.25% (2024)
• Brazil — 2.19% (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 5.17% (2024)
• Chile — 2.12% (2024)
• Colombia

More education data for British Virgin Islands

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 1,626 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 72.78% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 73.55% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 72.03% (2024)
• Secondary education, pupils — 2,300 (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is British Virgin Islands's children out of school (% of primary school age)?

26.97% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1983?

It is up 13.89 percentage points from 13.08% in 1983. The highest value was 26.97% in 2024 and the lowest 0.62% in 2010.

How does British Virgin Islands rank?

6th highest of 101 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in children out of school (% of primary school age) unusual for British Virgin Islands?

In 2024, British Virgin Islands' children out of school (% of primary school age) rose 11.56 percentage points on 2023 (from 15.41% to 26.97%). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2023), the average change was −0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.26 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 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.

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