Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Kiribati
Kiribati: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 91.3% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Kiribati, 1979–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Kiribati recorded 91.3% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Kiribati peaked at 100.0% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 91.3%, in 2024.
Kiribati ranks 150th of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Kiribati, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 92.8% | — |
| 1981 | 95.6% | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 97.5% | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 96.6% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 96.1% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 98.4% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 96.2% | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 99.2% | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 99.5% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 99.5% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 99.4% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 99.7% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 100.0% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 99.9% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 98.8% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 97.5% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 100.0% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 99.6% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 99.1% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 98.9% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 98.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 97.9% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 97.5% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 95.6% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 91.5% | -4.3% |
| 2024 | 91.3% | -0.3% |
Kiribati compared with similar countries
- Kiribati's 91.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 97% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kiribati's 91.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 97.4%, 94% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 92.8% | 92.8% | 92.8% | 1 |
| 1980s | 97.3% | 95.6% | 99.2% | 8 |
| 1990s | 99.6% | 98.8% | 100.0% | 7 |
| 2000s | 98.7% | 97.5% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 99.1% | 98.6% | 99.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 94.8% | 91.3% | 97.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kiribati
More education data for Kiribati
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 969 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 608 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,846 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 17,457 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1298 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,457 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Kiribati?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Kiribati was 91.3% 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 Kiribati?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1995.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Kiribati?
- The lowest recorded value was 91.3% in 2024.
- How does Kiribati rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Kiribati ranks 150th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Kiribati?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Kiribati 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.