Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Barbados
Barbados: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary was 21.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Barbados, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Barbados recorded 21.8% for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in 2024.
That represents a change of down 26.0% on the previous year and up 183.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Barbados peaked at 29.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2008.
That places Barbados 69th out of 179 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 one year before the official primary in Barbados, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 7.5% | — |
| 2000 | 9.8% | +30.1% |
| 2001 | 10.4% | +6.1% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | -72.5% |
| 2003 | 4.4% | +53.1% |
| 2004 | 13.6% | +213.2% |
| 2005 | 12.0% | -11.7% |
| 2006 | 3.9% | -67.5% |
| 2007 | 7.3% | +86.4% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | -71.5% |
| 2009 | 17.2% | +729.3% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | -76.0% |
| 2011 | 10.6% | +157.1% |
| 2014 | 7.7% | -27.3% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | -69.6% |
| 2016 | 12.3% | +425.7% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | -70.8% |
| 2018 | 10.8% | +200.6% |
| 2019 | 14.9% | +37.9% |
| 2020 | 19.7% | +32.5% |
| 2021 | 21.4% | +8.7% |
| 2022 | 27.2% | +26.7% |
| 2023 | 29.5% | +8.6% |
| 2024 | 21.8% | -26.0% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 21.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 4.5× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 21.8% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.5%, 3.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Barbados changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +729.3% | 2.1% | 17.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.5% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 8.3% | 2.1% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.3% | 2.3% | 14.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 23.9% | 19.7% | 29.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
- 66 Brunei Darussalam 22.7% compare
- 67 Tonga 22.3% compare
- 68 Guyana 22.0% compare
- 70 South Africa 21.2% compare
- 71 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 20.3% compare
- 72 Nepal 20.0% compare
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 one year before the official primary in Barbados?
- Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Barbados was 21.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 29.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 2008.
- How does Barbados rank for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Barbados ranks 69th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is up 183.3%. 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 one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release