Kiribati: School enrollment, primary (% net)

Key figures

Since 1979 it is down 4.02 percentage points from 98.71% in 1979. The World Bank has no value for 20 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2017, Kiribati's school enrollment, primary (% net) fell 2.78 percentage points on 2016 (from 97.48% to 94.69%).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2016), the average change was −0.46 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.25 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.9 standard deviations below 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 1.71 percentage points in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.04 percentage points in 1987. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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

How it compares

In 2017, Kiribati had the 40th highest value of the 63 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 Kiribati in the 2017 ranking

• United Arab Emirates — 36th of 63: 95.03%
• North Macedonia — 37th of 63: 94.89%
• Chile — 38th of 63: 94.74%
• Philippines — 40th of 63: 93.78%
• Estonia — 41st of 63: 93.68%
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 42nd of 63: 93.58%

What this measures

Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music.

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 19 values

School enrollment, primary (% net) in nearby economies

• Australia — 96.38% (2017)
• Brunei Darussalam — 93.15% (2018)
• Cambodia — 90.27% (2018)
• Fiji — 96.76% (2016)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 95.45% (2018)
• Indonesia — 93.5% (2018)
• Korea, Rep. — 97.26% (2017)
• Lao PDR — 91.47% (2018)
• Macao SAR, China — 96.4% (2018)
• Malaysia — 99.65% (2017)
• Mongolia

More education data for Kiribati

• 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 — 17,457 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 95.27% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.06 (2020)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 93.29% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 97.2% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Kiribati's school enrollment, primary (% net)?

94.69% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1979?

It is down 4.02 percentage points from 98.71% in 1979. The highest value was 99.94% in 1992 and the lowest 94.39% in 1987.

How does Kiribati rank?

40th highest of 63 economies with data for 2017.

Is the latest change in school enrollment, primary (% net) unusual for Kiribati?

In 2017, Kiribati's school enrollment, primary (% net) fell 2.78 percentage points on 2016 (from 97.48% to 94.69%). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1984 to 2016), the average change was −0.46 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.25 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.9 standard deviations below 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.NENR, 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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