The International Baccalaureate® (IB) is a non-profit educational foundation, motivated by its mission, focused on the student.

Founded in 1968, the IB currently works with 3,266 schools in 141 countries to develop and offer three challenging programmes to over 947,000 students aged 3 to 19 years.

Three programmes are offered for students aged 3 through to 19 to help develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.

• The Primary Years Programme for students aged 3 to 12 focuses on the development of the whole child in the classroom and in the world outside.

• The Middle Years Programme for students aged 11 to 16 provides a framework of academic challenge and life skills, achieved through embracing and transcending traditional school subjects. 

• The Diploma Programme for students aged 16 to 19 is a demanding two-year curriculum leading to final examinations and a qualification that is welcomed by leading universities around the world.

While the IB programmes cultivate internationalism and respect for other cultures, they also adapt to the local environment and allow students to maintain a strong sense of cultural identity. Students are taught to be active learners, well-rounded individuals and engaged citizens, who gain practical experience of being part of an international community.

In the Asia-Pacific region, there are IB World Schools in over 28 countries, from Pakistan in South Asia to Mongolia in North Asia and to Guam, Fiji and New Zealand in Australasia. Asia-Pacific covers an area of seven time zones with more than fifteen different languages used officially in schools in the region.

The mix of IB World Schools in this region covers international schools and national schools, including local state schools, with approximately one third of schools offering all three IB programmes.

Within each country, networks and associations enable schools to learn from each other's experiences. Teachers, coordinators and heads of schools from across the whole region meet at IB Asia-Pacific workshops and conferences.

•  IB programmes are recognized around the world and ensure an increased adaptability and mobility for IB students.
• The curriculum and pedagogy of IB programmes focus on international perspectives of learning and teaching, while insisting that students fully explore their home culture and language.
• IB World Schools must undergo an exhaustive authorization process in order to offer one or more of the programmes, which includes a study of the school's resources and commitment to the IB mission and philosophy.
• IB teachers participate in a wide variety of professional development opportunities to constantly update their knowledge and share their expertise with colleagues around the world.
• Many students graduating from the Diploma Programme find that it enhances their opportunities at tertiary institutions. The IB works closely with universities around the world to gain recognition for IB programmes.
• The core components of IB programmes encourage students to participate in creative and service-oriented activities, while at the same time emphasizing the importance of reflection on a personal and academic level.
• The IB produces publications for schools to inform and support them as they offer IB courses. It is now beginning to produce material for use directly with students and to work closely with selected publishers and providers to offer material for students. These materials only will carry an IB logo.

IB World School statistics

Number of schools by programme combination and region