Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Barbados
Barbados: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 12.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Barbados, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Barbados recorded 12.4% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2024. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 20.5% on the previous year and up 156.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Barbados peaked at 12.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 2016.
That places Barbados 45th out of 169 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Barbados, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 3.7% | — |
| 1983 | 3.6% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 3.8% | +6.0% |
| 2003 | 3.8% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | -35.4% |
| 2005 | 4.7% | +90.7% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | -22.3% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | -35.3% |
| 2008 | 3.6% | +53.4% |
| 2009 | 3.6% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 3.6% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 3.4% | -6.8% |
| 2014 | 4.8% | +42.9% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | -35.1% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | -26.0% |
| 2017 | 4.9% | +112.8% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 5.1% | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 7.4% | +44.5% |
| 2021 | 8.4% | +14.1% |
| 2022 | 9.1% | +8.0% |
| 2023 | 10.3% | +13.0% |
| 2024 | 12.4% | +20.5% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 12.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.2%, 5.6× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 12.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 7.3%, 1.7× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.7% | 3.6% | 3.8% | 3 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 2.4% | 4.7% | 7 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 2.3% | 5.1% | 8 |
| 2020s | 9.5% | 7.4% | 12.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
More education data for Barbados
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,244 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 279 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2,255 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2,277 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 18,457 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,314 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -5.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0578 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Barbados?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Barbados was 12.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 2016.
- How does Barbados rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Barbados ranks 45th out of 169 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is up 156.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release