Burundi: School enrollment, preprimary (% gross)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Burundi's school enrollment, preprimary (% gross) did not change 0 percentage points on 2020 (from 16.49% to 16.49%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2020), the average change was +0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.93 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.61 percentage points in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.58 percentage points in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.95 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 90% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 19.9% for 2024. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2019 to 2021 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.91%, against 1.17% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2021, Burundi had the 60th highest value of the 66 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 Burundi in the 2021 ranking

• Guinea — 57th of 66: 19.66%
• Saudi Arabia — 58th of 66: 18.32%
• Senegal — 59th of 66: 17.58%
• Djibouti — 61st of 66: 11.62%
• Niger — 62nd of 66: 7.03%
• Burkina Faso — 63rd of 66: 6.5%

What this measures

Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Preprimary education refers to programs at the initial stage of organized instruction, designed primarily to introduce very young children to a school-type environment and to provide a bridge between home and school.

Limitations: Enrollment indicators are based on annual school surveys, but do not necessarily reflect actual attendance or dropout rates during the year. Also, the length of education differs across countries and can influence enrollment rates, although the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) tries to minimize the difference. For example, a shorter duration for primary education tends to increase the rate; a longer one to decrease it (in part because older children are more at risk of dropping out). Moreover, age at enrollment may be inaccurately estimated or misstated, especially in communities where registration of births is not strictly enforced.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 35 values

School enrollment, preprimary (% gross) in nearby economies

• Angola — 39.61% (2016)
• Benin — 23.13% (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 6.5% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 74.7% (2019)
• Cameroon — 35.62% (2019)
• Central African Republic — 2.93% (2017)
• Chad — 1.27% (2021)
• Comoros — 21.81% (2018)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 6.86% (2020)
• Congo, Rep. — 14.29% (2018)

More education data for Burundi

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 2.52 million (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 100.63% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 101.6% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 99.67% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.01 (2020)
• Primary education, pupils (% female)

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 Burundi's school enrollment, preprimary (% gross)?

16.49% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 16.21 percentage points from 0.28% in 1971. The highest value was 16.63% in 2019 and the lowest 0.16% in 1974.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRE.ENRR, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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