Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Barbados
Barbados: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 83.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Barbados, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Barbados is 83.9%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 42 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.6% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Barbados peaked at 117.5% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 83.9%, in 2024.
Barbados ranks 198th of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 42 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Barbados, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 104.1% | — |
| 1972 | 101.1% | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 99.7% | -1.4% |
| 1974 | 94.1% | -5.6% |
| 1975 | 96.6% | +2.6% |
| 1976 | 96.2% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 102.1% | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 106.1% | +3.9% |
| 1979 | 108.5% | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 101.7% | -6.3% |
| 1981 | 104.0% | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 105.3% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 107.6% | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 114.9% | +6.8% |
| 1985 | 115.8% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 117.5% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 112.1% | -4.6% |
| 1992 | 106.9% | -4.7% |
| 1999 | 103.2% | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 102.6% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 104.4% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 103.5% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 104.5% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 102.4% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 101.6% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 101.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 100.2% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 100.5% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 99.8% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 100.0% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 100.6% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 96.4% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 95.4% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 95.3% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 94.4% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 94.5% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 94.8% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 94.5% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 92.8% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 90.2% | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 88.0% | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 83.9% | -4.6% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 83.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.8%, 84% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 83.9% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 99.5%, 84% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 100.9% | 94.1% | 108.5% | 9 |
| 1980s | 109.5% | 101.7% | 117.5% | 7 |
| 1990s | 107.4% | 103.2% | 112.1% | 3 |
| 2000s | 102.1% | 99.8% | 104.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 96.4% | 94.4% | 100.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 89.9% | 83.9% | 94.5% | 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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Barbados?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Barbados was 83.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 117.5% in 1989.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 83.9% in 2024.
- How does Barbados rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Barbados ranks 198th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.