IB May 2024 Exam Statistics

Session: May 2024

In May 2024, 192,866 students from 3,323 schools in 152 countries took IB exams, up from 179,922 in May 2023. Between them they had 721,067 subject entries.

In May 2024, 96,726 students received IB Diploma results. Of these, 80.5% were awarded the diploma, up from 80.01% in May 2023, and the average score was 30.3 points out of 45, up from 30.24.

In the Career-related Programme, 6,429 students received results and 74.9% were awarded the certificate, down from 75.22% in May 2023.

Students: 192,866; May 2023: 179,922
Schools: 3,323; May 2023: 3,189
Diploma pass rate: 80.5%; May 2023: 80.01%
Average score: 30.3; May 2023: 30.24

May 2024 compared with May 2023

The bulletin's overview of the session, with the Diploma and Career-related Programme results, beside May 2023, the same session a year earlier.

IB results, May 2024 and May 2023
Figure	May 2024	May 2023	Change
Students	192,866	179,922	+12,944
Subject entries	721,067	679,741	+41,326
Schools	3,323	3,189	+134
Countries	152	149	+3
Mean grade, all students	4.7	4.67	0.0
Diploma results	96,726	91,421	+5,305
Diplomas awarded	77,875	73,149	+4,726
Diploma pass rate	80.5%	80.01%	+0.5
Average score	30.3	30.24	+0.1
Mean grade, Diploma students	4.9	4.84	+0.1
Career-related Programme results	6,429	4,786	+1,643
Career-related pass rate	74.9%	75.22%	−0.3

Students: everyone in the session, in the Diploma, the Career-related Programme or individual courses. Diploma results: Diploma students, including those retaking, who received results. Average score: their mean total points, out of 45. Change: for rates, in percentage points.

IB Diploma scores in May 2024

The share of Diploma results at each total, out of 45, with an average of 30.3 points. A diploma needs at least 24 points. The average IB score page has every session's.

Share of IB Diploma results by total points, May 2024.

IB Diploma results by total points, May 2024
Total points	Share of Diploma results
0–23	15.5%
24–29	28.8%
30–34	26.9%
35–39	19.5%
40–45	9.3%

Most popular subjects in May 2024

The 10 subjects with the most students, HL and SL added, not counting the language courses, which the bulletin reports by language. Every subject is ranked, for this and every May session, in most popular IB subjects.

Students at HL and SL in the 10 largest IB subjects, May 2024.

The 10 IB subjects with the most students, May 2024
Subject	Students	HL	SL	Share of entries
1Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches	62,914	22,635	40,279	8.7%
2Biology	53,719	32,155	21,564	7.4%
3Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation	49,618	7,871	41,747	6.9%
4History	46,856	37,549	9,307	6.5%
5Chemistry	35,720	18,602	17,118	5.0%
6Business Management	34,115	22,190	11,925	4.7%
7Physics	29,968	16,470	13,498	4.2%
8Economics	28,537	18,449	10,088	4.0%
9Psychology	27,802	14,568	13,234	3.9%
10Environmental Systems and Societies	21,108	—	21,108	2.9%

Share of entries: the subject's students as a percentage of all 721,067 subject entries in May 2024, the language courses included. —: not taken at that level in May 2024.

Highest grade 7 rates in May 2024

The subjects with the 10 highest shares of 7s at each level, among the subjects with at least 100 students there. Grade 7 rates reflect who takes a subject and how it is assessed, so they don't show which subjects are easier. Every subject is ranked, for this and every May session, in IB grade 7 rates by subject.

Highest IB grade 7 rates at HL, May 2024, of 22 subjects
Subject	Grade 7 rate	Students
1Physics	19.6%	16,470
2Economics	15.0%	18,449
3Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches	14.6%	22,635
4Geography	14.3%	4,977
5Chemistry	13.8%	18,602
6Theatre	12.5%	2,400
7Social and Cultural Anthropology	10.6%	1,080
8Sports, Exercise and Health Science	10.5%	1,688
9Philosophy	9.5%	1,944
10Computer Science	8.2%	4,434

Highest IB grade 7 rates at SL, May 2024, of 31 subjects
Subject	Grade 7 rate	Students
1Turkey in the 20th Century	17.0%	854
2Economics	14.1%	10,088
3Astronomy	11.5%	104
4Brazilian Social Studies	10.8%	381
5Business Management	10.7%	11,925
6Physics	10.5%	13,498
7Art History	10.3%	116
8Philosophy	9.4%	2,685
9Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches	9.0%	40,279
10Geography	8.7%	4,494

Grade cells the bulletin leaves blank are shown as 0.0%. (May 2024)

Results by subject, May 2024

Every subject in the May 2024 bulletin by subject group, each group led by its totals. Each subject links to its own page, with its results in every session.

IB results by subject and level, May 2024
Subject	Level	Students	Mean grade	Grade 7 rate	Grade 6 or 7 rate
Group 1: Studies in Language and LiteratureLanguage A: Language and Literature and Language A: Literature: reported by language, in the results explorer.		142,480	4.8	3.5%	24.9%
Group 2: Language AcquisitionLanguage ab initio and Language B: reported by language, in the results explorer.		107,262	5.2	13.8%	44.8%
Group 3: Individuals and Societies		169,058	4.8	7.5%	28.9%
Art History	SL	116	4.2	10.3%	22.4%
Brazilian Social Studies	SL	381	5.0	10.8%	34.2%
Business Management	HL	22,190	4.9	7.7%	32.5%
Business Management	SL	11,925	4.9	10.7%	33.1%
Classical Greek and Roman Studies	SL	38	6.4	44.7%	92.1%
Digital Society	HL	1,210	4.4	0.6%	13.9%
Digital Society	SL	1,165	4.4	2.2%	18.8%
Economics	HL	18,449	5.1	15.0%	42.6%
Economics	SL	10,088	4.8	14.1%	35.7%
Geography	HL	4,977	5.3	14.3%	42.9%
Geography	SL	4,494	4.8	8.7%	30.4%
Global Politics	HL	5,298	5.0	6.0%	34.3%
Global Politics	SL	3,503	4.8	7.6%	27.2%
History	HL	37,549	4.4	2.9%	17.7%
History	SL	9,307	4.7	3.7%	23.1%
Philosophy	HL	1,944	5.0	9.5%	32.9%
Philosophy	SL	2,685	5.0	9.4%	32.2%
Psychology	HL	14,568	4.8	5.7%	29.9%
Psychology	SL	13,234	4.4	4.3%	23.4%
Social and Cultural Anthropology	HL	1,080	4.9	10.6%	32.5%
Social and Cultural Anthropology	SL	1,938	4.5	3.0%	18.4%
Turkey in the 20th Century	SL	854	5.4	17.0%	49.8%
World Arts and Cultures	SL	47	5.1	10.6%	38.3%
World Religions	SL	2,011	4.7	3.8%	20.9%
Group 4: Sciences		139,132	4.4	9.6%	25.2%
Astronomy	SL	104	4.3	11.5%	25.0%
Biology	HL	32,155	4.4	7.1%	23.8%
Biology	SL	21,564	4.2	5.6%	18.5%
Chemistry	HL	18,602	4.7	13.8%	34.1%
Chemistry	SL	17,118	4.2	8.6%	23.5%
Computer Science	HL	4,434	4.5	8.2%	25.7%
Computer Science	SL	4,138	4.2	6.2%	20.6%
Design Technology	HL	1,938	4.6	4.3%	23.1%
Design Technology	SL	1,728	4.0	1.5%	11.3%
Marine Science	SL	407	3.8	5.2%	14.3%
Nature of Science	SL	114	4.3	2.6%	14.0%
Physics	HL	16,470	4.9	19.6%	36.3%
Physics	SL	13,498	4.2	10.5%	23.5%
Sports, Exercise and Health Science	HL	1,688	4.8	10.5%	30.8%
Sports, Exercise and Health Science	SL	5,165	3.9	3.1%	12.6%
Group 5: Mathematics		112,532	4.4	8.2%	24.4%
Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches	HL	22,635	4.9	14.6%	36.2%
Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches	SL	40,279	4.5	9.0%	26.6%
Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation	HL	7,871	4.4	8.0%	23.7%
Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation	SL	41,747	3.9	4.2%	16.2%
Group 6: The Arts		28,985	4.3	3.5%	16.1%
Dance	HL	392	4.6	6.6%	26.2%
Dance	SL	461	4.2	4.1%	18.6%
Film	HL	2,822	4.5	3.6%	18.9%
Film	SL	1,947	4.1	2.9%	13.4%
Music	HL	1,377	4.8	6.2%	27.1%
Music	SL	1,697	4.3	3.5%	14.0%
Theatre	HL	2,400	5.0	12.5%	36.6%
Theatre	SL	1,312	4.6	7.5%	23.4%
Visual Arts	HL	10,468	4.3	2.0%	14.2%
Visual Arts	SL	6,109	3.9	0.7%	6.5%
Interdisciplinary		21,612	4.2	4.8%	16.5%
Environmental Systems and Societies	SL	21,108	4.2	4.8%	16.3%
Literature and Performance	SL	504	4.7	5.2%	25.0%

Group rows: the bulletin's totals for every subject in the group, the language courses included. Grade 7 rate: the share of students awarded a 7, as published. Grade 6 or 7 rate: the published shares for grades 6 and 7 added.

The bulletin's subject tables leave out subjects with fewer than 10 students, so the subject-group totals add up to slightly less than the session's total subject entries. (May 2024)
Subjects the bulletin only names, because fewer than 10 students took them, are not listed here. (May 2024)
Grade cells the bulletin leaves blank are shown as 0.0%. (May 2024)

Other sessions

Source and methodology

These statistics are from the International Baccalaureate's statistical bulletins. The latest data shown is from the May 2024 assessment session.

Bulletins

About this data

May and November are separate assessment sessions. November is much smaller and mostly taken by schools in the southern hemisphere, so its figures aren't directly comparable with May's.
Older bulletins call the people sitting the exams “candidates” and newer ones “students”. This site says “students” throughout.
“<10” means the IB didn't publish the exact number because fewer than 10 students took the subject. These figures are never estimated or counted as zero.
The grade 7 rate is the share of students the bulletin reports at grade 7. The grade 6 or 7 rate is calculated by IBonomics by adding the published shares for grades 6 and 7. Every other figure is as published.
From May 2024 the bulletins include students who received no grade (N) in each subject's percentages, so grades 1 to 7 add up to slightly less than 100%. Earlier bulletins give percentages of graded students only.
Bulletins up to May 2023 print figures to two decimal places and later ones to one. Each figure is shown as printed, and changes are compared at the lower precision.

IBonomics is not affiliated with or endorsed by the International Baccalaureate.