10 answers, 6 from the Solomon Islands's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
How many children are in school in the Solomon Islands?
The net enrolment rate for primary school in the Solomon Islands was 60.3% for boys and 56.3% for girls in 2020, according to the Education Statistics Digest 2020 from the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development. Gross enrolment in primary school was above 90% for both sexes.
The gap between gross and net rates shows that many pupils are older or younger than the official primary age of 6 to 11. Junior and senior secondary rates were much lower; the digest links this to dropouts and falling survival through the school system. The 2020 digest is the latest posted on the ministry's site.
How many children in the Solomon Islands finish primary school?
The primary completion rate in the Solomon Islands was 70.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO data published by the World Bank.
The completion rate compares the number of children entering the last grade of primary school with the population of that age, so it is a proxy rather than a count of children who finished. The Ministry of Education's Statistics Digest 2020 found 69.6% of pupils moved on from primary to Year 7, and 36.1% from Year 12 onward.
Do children in the Solomon Islands start school late?
49.6% of primary pupils in the Solomon Islands were older than the official age for their grade in 2020, according to the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development's Statistics Digest 2020. In secondary school, 61.1% of junior and 56.6% of senior pupils were overage.
The net intake rate, the share of six-year-olds starting Year 1 at the right age, was only 16.1%. Late starts and repeating years explain why gross primary enrolment is near 100% while net enrolment is under 60%. The 2020 digest used survey returns from 1,096 of 1,328 schools and centres.
How many young people in the Solomon Islands are out of school?
49.6% of young people of senior secondary age in the Solomon Islands were not in school in 2020, and 27.6% of junior secondary age, according to the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development's Statistics Digest 2020.
The ministry cites drop-out after exams, school fees and a bottleneck in places at higher levels as possible reasons. It also warns that enrolment and population figures come from different sources, so the rates may not show the exact number of out-of-school children.
The Solomon Islands scored above the regional average in both subjects. Girls scored higher than boys in literacy. Pupils who had attended early childhood education scored higher in both. PILNA is run by the Pacific Community, and the results describe the share of pupils at the expected level.
How much does the Solomon Islands spend on education?
Government spending on education in the Solomon Islands was 8.3% of GDP in 2023, according to UNESCO data published by the World Bank.
The figure covers spending by all levels of government, including teacher salaries. It does not count fees paid by families. A share of GDP shows the size of education spending relative to the economy, not spending per pupil.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
What share of children in the Solomon Islands go to primary school?
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts net primary school enrolment in the Solomon Islands at 67.5% in 2018. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. It is 9th highest of 9 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is 93.1%. Of 69 countries with 2018 data, 66th highest.
What share of GDP does the Solomon Islands spend on education?
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, government spending on education in the Solomon Islands was 8.3% of GDP in 2023. Its high point since 2007 was 2020, at 9.6% of GDP; its low point was 2009, at 6.7% of GDP. East Asia & Pacific median: 3.8% of GDP; the Solomon Islands is 3rd highest of 20. Of 112 countries with 2023 data, 3rd highest.
What is the pupil-teacher ratio in the Solomon Islands?
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts the number of primary pupils per teacher in the Solomon Islands at 25 in 2018. Since 2010 it has ranged from 19 (2012) to 26 (2017). It is 4th highest of 13 in East Asia & Pacific, where the median is 20. Of 85 countries with 2018 data, 30th highest.
How many children in the Solomon Islands complete primary school?
70.5%: that is the primary completion rate in the Solomon Islands for 2024, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Since 2010 it has ranged from 66.5% (2023) to 86.6% (2010). East Asia & Pacific median: 98.9%; the Solomon Islands is 20th highest of 20. Of 104 countries with 2024 data, 95th highest.