Samoa: School enrollment, primary (% net)

Key figures

Since 1994 it is up 1.04 percentage points from 93.38% in 1994. 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 2018, Samoa's school enrollment, primary (% net) fell 0.05 percentage points on 2017 (from 94.47% to 94.41%).

Across the 9 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2017), the average change was −1.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.37 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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 0.96 percentage points in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.91 percentage points in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 22% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2018, Samoa had the 32nd highest value of the 68 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 Samoa in the 2018 ranking

• Serbia — 28th of 68: 94.55%
• Saudi Arabia — 29th of 68: 94.55%
• Albania — 30th of 68: 94.53%
• Qatar — 32nd of 68: 94.09%
• Mozambique — 33rd of 68: 93.93%
• Indonesia — 34th of 68: 93.5%

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 15 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)
• Kiribati — 94.69% (2017)
• Korea, Rep. — 97.26% (2017)
• Lao PDR — 91.47% (2018)
• Macao SAR, China — 96.4% (2018)
• Malaysia

More education data for Samoa

• Primary school starting age (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 34,962 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 101.04% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 99.1% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 102.89% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2021)
• Primary education, pupils (% female) — 48.01% (2018)

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 Samoa's school enrollment, primary (% net)?

94.41% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1994?

It is up 1.04 percentage points from 93.38% in 1994. The highest value was 98.37% in 2007 and the lowest 86.45% in 2001.

How does Samoa rank?

32nd highest of 68 economies with data for 2018.

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

In 2018, Samoa's school enrollment, primary (% net) fell 0.05 percentage points on 2017 (from 94.47% to 94.41%). Across the 9 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2017), the average change was −1.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.37 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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.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.

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.