Puerto Rico (US): Secondary education, pupils

Key figures

Since 1971 it is down 37.43% from 274,139 in 1971 (0.88% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 35 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Puerto Rico (US)'s secondary education, pupils fell 27.4% on 2023 (from 236,258 to 171,527).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2023), the average change was −1.2% and a typical year strayed about 5.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.8% in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 27.4% in 2024. 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, Puerto Rico (US) had the 68th 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 Puerto Rico (US) in the 2024 ranking

• Moldova — 65th of 100: 228,038
• Albania — 66th of 100: 208,738
• Jamaica — 67th of 100: 177,095
• Qatar — 69th of 100: 151,038
• Latvia — 70th of 100: 123,994
• Fiji — 71st of 100: 113,613

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 19 values

Secondary education, pupils in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 7,160 (2023)
• Argentina — 4.56 million (2023)
• Aruba — 8,367 (2024)
• Bahamas, The — 26,561 (2024)
• Barbados — 18,457 (2024)
• Belize — 38,323 (2024)
• Bolivia — 1.3 million (2024)
• Brazil — 21.5 million (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 2,300 (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 4,049 (2024)
• Chile — 1.63 million (2024)

More education data for Puerto Rico (US)

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Compulsory education, duration (years) — 13 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, general pupils — 229,383 (2016)
• Secondary education, vocational pupils — 6,618 (2016)
• Secondary education, general pupils (% female) — 49.69% (2016)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 4.27% (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 Puerto Rico (US)'s secondary education, pupils?

171,527 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 37.43% from 274,139 in 1971 (0.88% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 303,500 in 1975 and the lowest 171,527 in 2024.

How does Puerto Rico (US) rank?

68th highest of 100 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in secondary education, pupils unusual for Puerto Rico (US)?

In 2024, Puerto Rico (US)'s secondary education, pupils fell 27.4% on 2023 (from 236,258 to 171,527). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2023), the average change was −1.2% and a typical year strayed about 5.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.