Kiribati: Secondary education, pupils

Key figures

Since 1970 it is up 1,944% from 824 in 1970 (5.75% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 15 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Kiribati's secondary education, pupils fell 0.6% on 2023 (from 16,945 to 16,846).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2023), the average change was +8% and a typical year strayed about 10.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 33.5% in 1999 and the biggest yearly fall was 22.1% in 1981. 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 2024, Kiribati had the 84th highest value of the 100 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 2024 ranking

• Macao SAR, China — 81st of 100: 31,617
• Bahamas, The — 82nd of 100: 26,561
• Barbados — 83rd of 100: 18,457
• Tonga — 85th of 100: 16,132
• St. Lucia — 86th of 100: 10,378
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 87th of 100: 9,740

What this measures

Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.

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

All 40 values

Secondary education, pupils in nearby economies

• Australia — 2.65 million (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 40,924 (2023)
• Cambodia — 1.17 million (2024)
• China — 97.98 million (2024)
• Fiji — 113,613 (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 340,877 (2024)
• Indonesia — 27.84 million (2025)
• Japan — 6.61 million (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 2.66 million (2024)
• Lao PDR — 532,092 (2025)
• Macao SAR, China — 31,617 (2024)

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

• 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 Kiribati's secondary education, pupils?

16,846 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 1,944% from 824 in 1970 (5.75% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 16,945 in 2023 and the lowest 824 in 1970.

How does Kiribati rank?

84th highest of 100 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in secondary education, pupils unusual for Kiribati?

In 2024, Kiribati's secondary education, pupils fell 0.6% on 2023 (from 16,945 to 16,846). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2023), the average change was +8% and a typical year strayed about 10.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.ENRL, 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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