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Puerto Rico: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 37.5% (2016). Primary enrolment is 87.9% (2024), 170th of 191 in the world and 35th of 39 in Latin America & Caribbean. Primary completion is 83.1% (2024), 129th of 168 in the world and 28th of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean.
Education: Puerto Rico 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 | 37.5%2016 | — | — | · | 99.1% | · | — | 75.6% | 83.8% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 87.9%2024 | 170/191 | 35/39 | · | 99.2% | 95.1%2018 | −11.9 ppsince 2014 | 104.6% | 99.8% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 83.1%2024 | 129/168 | 28/33 | · | · | 79.4%2018 | — | 96.5% | 97.8% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 81.5%2024 | 127/176 | 28/37 | · | 87.1% | 88.9%2018 | −9.9 ppsince 2014 | 98.0% | 103.2% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 80.3%2023 | 112/168 | 21/32 | · | · | · | — | 81.5% | 95.6% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 77.9%2023 | 33/172 | 6/31 | · | 90.7% | 88.4% | −17.4 ppsince 2013 | 58.9% | 82.0% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 13.3%2024 | 35/178 | 9/35 | · | 8.3% | 9.8%2018 | +7.9 ppsince 2014 | — | 2.5% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 92.4%2017 | 78/141 | 19/26 | · | 92.0% | · | — | 94.9% | 97.7% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 92.4%2017 | 102/148 | 28/31 | · | 98.8% | · | — | 98.7% | 99.3% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 13.52016 | 126/173 | 23/30 | · | 11.7 | · | — | 21.3 | 14.0 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 4.3%2024 | 88/184 | 17/38 | · | · | 4.3% | −1.8 ppsince 2014 | 3.8% | 4.7% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 16.0%2025 | 47/179 | 13/37 | · | · | 16.7% | +3.7 ppsince 2015 | 16.6% | 12.0% | 14.0% |
Better than ten years ago
No rated indicator improved over the decade.
Worse than ten years ago
- Secondary enrolment−9.9 pp81.5% in 2024
- Tertiary enrolment−17.4 pp77.9% in 2023
- Out-of-school children+7.9 pp13.3% in 2024
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
Puerto Rico and its nearest countries
Puerto Rico 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 | Puerto Rico | US Virgin Islands | British Virgin Islands | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Dominican Republic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 37.5%2016 | — | 87.9%2021 | 93.7%2021 | 33.4%2021 |
| Primary enrolment | 87.9%2024 | — | 72.8%2024 | 121.1%2023 | 101.9%2024 |
| Primary completion | 83.1%2024 | — | 46.4%2024 | 124.3%2023 | 90.0%2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 81.5%2024 | — | 75.6%2024 | 137.5%2023 | 76.4%2024 |
| Lower secondary completion | 80.3%2023 | — | 74.8%2024 | 119.7%2023 | 79.7%2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 77.9%2023 | — | 29.6%2024 | 93.9%2015 | 57.7%2024 |
| Out-of-school children | 13.3%2024 | — | 27.0%2024 | 0.9%2008 | 4.9%2024 |
| Adult literacy | 92.4%2017 | — | — | — | 94.0%2024 |
| Youth literacy | 92.4%2017 | — | — | — | 98.2%2024 |