Papua New Guinea vs Sri Lanka: Primary education, pupils

Papua New Guinea
1.65 million
in 2023
Sri Lanka
1.58 million
in 2023
Papua New Guinea rank
72nd
Sri Lanka rank
75th

Primary education, pupils over time

  • Papua New Guinea
  • Sri Lanka
0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M197019962023

How they compare

Papua New Guinea currently reports 1.65 million against 1.58 million in Sri Lanka, a difference of 78,430.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 42 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Sri Lanka ahead.

Papua New Guinea ranks 72nd and Sri Lanka ranks 75th of 206 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Papua New Guinea Sri Lanka Difference Ahead
1970s 232,285 1.63 million 1.40 million Sri Lanka
1980s 354,681 2.14 million 1.78 million Sri Lanka
1990s 485,959 1.98 million 1.50 million Sri Lanka
2000s 529,299 1.66 million 1.13 million Sri Lanka
2010s 1.27 million 1.75 million 475,204 Sri Lanka
2020s 1.46 million 1.64 million 177,330 Sri Lanka

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher primary education, pupils, Papua New Guinea or Sri Lanka?
Papua New Guinea, at 1.65 million against 1.58 million in Sri Lanka as of 2023.
What is the difference in primary education, pupils between Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka?
78,430, with Papua New Guinea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka?
42 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2023.
How do Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka rank globally for primary education, pupils?
Papua New Guinea ranks 72nd and Sri Lanka ranks 75th of 206 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Primary education, pupils. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Papua New Guinea vs Sri Lanka: Primary education, pupils. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/primary-education-pupils/papua-new-guinea/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
Primary education, pupils
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 11,297 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.