Sri Lanka vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Persistence to last grade of primary, total

Sri Lanka
97.9%
in 2022
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
61.5%
in 2023
Sri Lanka rank
43rd
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank
40th

Persistence to last grade of primary, total over time

  • Sri Lanka
  • Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
020406080100197019962023

How they compare

Sri Lanka currently reports 97.9% against 61.5% in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), a difference of 36.4%.

That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.6 times Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s.

Across all 28 years both countries report, Sri Lanka has been ahead every year.

Sri Lanka ranks 43rd and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 40th of 179 countries.

Sri Lanka has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Sri Lanka Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) Difference Ahead
1970s 78.3% 64.6% 13.7% Sri Lanka
1980s 92.1% 65.8% 26.3% Sri Lanka
1990s 93.3% 65.2% 28.1% Sri Lanka
2000s 98.3% 62.5% 35.8% Sri Lanka
2010s 98.2% 57.4% 40.8% Sri Lanka
2020s 97.9% 62.0% 35.9% Sri Lanka

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher persistence to last grade of primary, total, Sri Lanka or Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Sri Lanka, at 97.9% against 61.5% in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) as of 2022.
What is the difference in persistence to last grade of primary, total between Sri Lanka and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
36.4%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Sri Lanka and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
28 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2022.
How do Sri Lanka and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for persistence to last grade of primary, total?
Sri Lanka ranks 43rd and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 40th of 179 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Persistence to last grade of primary, total (% of cohort). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Sri Lanka vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Persistence to last grade of primary, total. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/persistence-to-last-grade-of-primary-total-percent-of-cohort/sri-lanka/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/

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<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/persistence-to-last-grade-of-primary-total-percent-of-cohort/sri-lanka/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/">Sri Lanka vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Persistence to last grade of primary, total</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Persistence to last grade of primary, total (% of cohort)
Unit
% of cohort
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
224 places, 6,364 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

Persistence to last grade of primary is the percentage of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach the last grade of primary education. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.