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Cayman Islands: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 89.3% (2018), 59th of 176 in the world and 10th of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean. Primary enrolment is 95.7% (2024), 140th of 191 in the world and 29th of 39 in Latin America & Caribbean. Primary completion is 106.5% (2024), 15th of 168 in the world and 5th of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean.
Education: Cayman Islands in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Latin America & Caribbean; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross | 89.3%2018 | 59/176 | 10/33 | 48.7% | 36.9%2012 | 89.3%2018 | +27.6 ppsince 2007 | 75.6% | 83.8% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 95.7%2024 | 140/191 | 29/39 | 108.0% | 103.9%2011 | 97.7% | −2.9 ppsince 2013 | 104.6% | 99.8% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 106.5%2024 | 15/168 | 5/33 | 102.5% | 106.2%2011 | 93.6%2021 | −0.7 ppsince 2013 | 96.5% | 97.8% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 84.8%2024 | 121/176 | 26/37 | 94.2% | 92.3%2011 | 84.1% | −3.9 ppsince 2013 | 98.0% | 103.2% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 97.3%2024 | 47/168 | 8/32 | 87.2%2001 | 99.0%2011 | 97.0% | +3.0 ppsince 2013 | 81.5% | 95.6% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 33.0%2008 | — | — | 21.1% | 33.0%2008 | · | — | 58.9% | 82.0% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 5.2%2024 | 70/178 | 20/35 | 1.4% | 1.8%2011 | 3.9% | +3.0 ppsince 2013 | — | 2.5% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 98.9%2017 | 25/141 | 3/26 | · | · | · | ±0.0 ppsince 2007 | 94.9% | 97.7% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 98.9%2017 | 59/148 | 17/31 | · | · | · | ±0.0 ppsince 2007 | 98.7% | 99.3% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 15.72018 | 104/173 | 18/30 | 14.5 | 12.12011 | 15.72018 | +30%since 2008 | 21.3 | 14.0 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 1.6%2023 | 176/184 | 37/38 | · | · | 1.5% | — | 3.8% | 4.7% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 15.0%2019 | — | — | · | · | 15.0%2019 | — | 16.6% | 12.0% | 14.0% |
Better than ten years ago
- Pre-primary enrolment+27.6 pp89.3% in 2018
- Lower secondary completion+3.0 pp97.3% in 2024
Worse than ten years ago
- Primary completion−0.7 pp106.5% in 2024
- Secondary enrolment−3.9 pp84.8% in 2024
- Out-of-school children+3.0 pp5.2% in 2024
- Pupils per teacher+30%15.7 in 2018
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
Cayman Islands and its nearest countries
Cayman Islands has no land border; compared with the closest countries by distance between capitals. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Cayman Islands | Cuba | Jamaica | Bahamas | Honduras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 89.3%2018 | 99.6%2021 | 92.4%2011 | 39.7%2019 | 33.8%2021 |
| Primary enrolment | 95.7%2024 | 98.1%2024 | 97.3%2024 | 92.9%2024 | 79.0%2024 |
| Primary completion | 106.5%2024 | 91.1%2024 | 83.6%2024 | 87.9%2019 | 72.0%2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 84.8%2024 | 91.7%2024 | 84.5%2024 | 79.5%2024 | 51.8%2024 |
| Lower secondary completion | 97.3%2024 | 89.2%2024 | 85.6%2024 | 95.3%2010 | 36.6%2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 33.0%2008 | 43.1%2024 | 26.2%2015 | — | 23.3%2024 |
| Out-of-school children | 5.2%2024 | 4.7%2024 | 4.3%2024 | 15.9%2024 | 26.6%2024 |
| Adult literacy | 98.9%2017 | 97.7%2019 | — | — | 88.2%2024 |
| Youth literacy | 98.9%2017 | 99.6%2019 | 93.6%2022 | — | 95.8%2024 |