Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bahrain
Bahrain: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 95.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bahrain, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bahrain is 95.3%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bahrain peaked at 99.6% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 69.1%, in 1973.
That places Bahrain 120th out of 209 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bahrain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 69.2% | — |
| 1972 | 69.4% | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 69.1% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 70.9% | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 76.0% | +7.3% |
| 1976 | 76.7% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 79.5% | +3.7% |
| 1978 | 79.2% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 79.9% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 79.7% | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 76.2% | -4.4% |
| 1982 | 73.3% | -3.8% |
| 1983 | 75.4% | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 78.9% | +4.6% |
| 1985 | 83.8% | +6.2% |
| 1986 | 89.3% | +6.5% |
| 1987 | 89.7% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 93.0% | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 93.2% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 89.7% | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 84.3% | -6.1% |
| 1993 | 84.9% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 85.4% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 87.3% | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 88.5% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 89.3% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 93.0% | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 95.1% | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 92.9% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 92.8% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 91.0% | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 89.3% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 89.8% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 90.0% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 95.6% | +6.2% |
| 2011 | 93.6% | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 99.5% | +6.3% |
| 2013 | 99.6% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 99.5% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 98.4% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 98.3% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 98.2% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 97.2% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 97.0% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 96.8% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 93.3% | -3.6% |
| 2024 | 95.3% | +2.1% |
Bahrain compared with similar countries
- Bahrain's 95.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 98.2%, 97% of the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Bahrain's 95.3% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 95.4%, 100% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 74.4% | 69.1% | 79.9% | 9 |
| 1980s | 83.3% | 73.3% | 93.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 88.6% | 84.3% | 95.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 91.6% | 89.3% | 95.6% | 7 |
| 2010s | 97.9% | 93.6% | 99.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 95.1% | 93.3% | 96.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bahrain
More education data for Bahrain
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 8,964 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 23 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 15,546 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 14,992 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 109,221 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 122,305 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 4.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.077 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bahrain?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bahrain was 95.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Bahrain?
- The highest recorded value was 99.6% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Bahrain?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.1% in 1973.
- How does Bahrain rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Bahrain ranks 120th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Bahrain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bahrain data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.