School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Barbados
Barbados: School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) was 19,319 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
19,319
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
184th
of 222 countries
All-time high
37,469
in 1971
All-time low
19,319
in 2025
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Barbados, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Barbados recorded 19,319 for school age population, primary education, both sexes in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Barbados peaked at 37,469 in 1971 and was at its lowest, 19,319, in 2025.
That places Barbados 184th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Barbados, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 37,247 | — |
| 1971 | 37,469 | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 37,074 | -1.1% |
| 1973 | 36,817 | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 36,242 | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 35,351 | -2.5% |
| 1976 | 34,182 | -3.3% |
| 1977 | 33,305 | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 32,359 | -2.8% |
| 1979 | 31,816 | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 30,784 | -3.2% |
| 1981 | 29,939 | -2.7% |
| 1982 | 29,182 | -2.5% |
| 1983 | 28,198 | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 26,894 | -4.6% |
| 1985 | 26,049 | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 25,432 | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 25,118 | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 25,070 | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 25,177 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 25,430 | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 25,247 | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 24,945 | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 24,586 | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 24,170 | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 23,891 | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 23,826 | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 23,892 | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 23,995 | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 24,029 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 23,851 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 23,199 | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 22,593 | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 22,083 | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 21,811 | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 21,900 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 22,178 | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 22,536 | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 22,742 | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 22,772 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 22,653 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 22,373 | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 21,986 | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 21,807 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 21,954 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 21,916 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 21,749 | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 21,601 | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 21,401 | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 20,996 | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 20,359 | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 19,961 | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 19,730 | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 19,554 | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 19,436 | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 19,319 | -0.6% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 19,319 is below the median for high income countries, which is 215,283, 9% of the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 19,319 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 211,441, 9% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 35,186 | 31,816 | 37,469 | 10 |
| 1980s | 27,184 | 25,070 | 30,784 | 10 |
| 1990s | 24,401 | 23,826 | 25,430 | 10 |
| 2000s | 22,566 | 21,811 | 23,851 | 10 |
| 2010s | 21,844 | 20,996 | 22,653 | 10 |
| 2020s | 19,726 | 19,319 | 20,359 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
- 181 Guam 23,483 compare
- 182 New Caledonia 20,623 compare
- 183 Guadeloupe 19,423 compare
- 185 French Polynesia 18,566 compare
- 186 Kiribati 18,409 compare
- 187 Martinique 16,650 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 school age population, primary education, both sexes in Barbados?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Barbados was 19,319 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 37,469 in 1971.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 19,319 in 2025.
- How does Barbados rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Barbados ranks 184th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. 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, published as part of School age population, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release