Marshall Islands: Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 7.37 percentage points from 105.85% in 2019. Since 1999 it is down 0.05 percentage points from 98.53% in 1999. The World Bank has no value for 10 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Marshall Islands' primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) fell 2.66 percentage points on 2023 (from 101.14% to 98.48%).

Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2023), the average change was −2.68 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.76 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above 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 4.71 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.32 percentage points in 2003. 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, Marshall Islands had the 29th highest value of the 95 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 Marshall Islands in the 2024 ranking

• Chile — 26th of 95: 99.14%
• Norway — 27th of 95: 98.71%
• Spain — 28th of 95: 98.51%
• Slovak Republic — 30th of 95: 98.36%
• Armenia — 31st of 95: 98.21%
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 32nd of 95: 98.21%

What this measures

Primary completion rate, or gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, is the number of new entrants (enrollments minus repeaters) in the last grade of primary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education. Data limitations preclude adjusting for students who drop out during the final year of primary education.

Limitations: The data do not account for students who drop out during the final year of primary education. Therefore, this rate serves as a proxy and should be considered an upper estimate of the actual primary completion rate. There are many reasons why the primary completion rate can exceed 100 percent. The numerator may include late entrants and overage children who have repeated one or more grades of primary education as well as children who entered school early, while the denominator is the number of children at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education.

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

All 16 values

Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 99.38% (2024)
• Cambodia — 90.99% (2024)
• Fiji — 116.31% (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 91.68% (2024)
• Indonesia — 99.95% (2023)
• Kiribati — 92.81% (2024)
• Korea, Rep. — 102.85% (2024)
• Lao PDR — 85.25% (2025)
• Macao SAR, China — 94.13% (2024)

More education data for Marshall Islands

• 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) — 6 (2025)
• Compulsory education, duration (years) — 13 (2025)
• Preprimary education, duration (years) — 4 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 5,369 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 101.8% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 102.28% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Marshall Islands's primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group)?

98.48% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1999?

It is down 0.05 percentage points from 98.53% in 1999. The highest value was 119.39% in 2002 and the lowest 90.84% in 2016.

How does Marshall Islands rank?

29th highest of 95 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) unusual for Marshall Islands?

In 2024, Marshall Islands' primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) fell 2.66 percentage points on 2023 (from 101.14% to 98.48%). Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2023), the average change was −2.68 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.76 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above 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.PRM.CMPT.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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