Statizoid

Barro-Lee: Average years of primary schooling, age 15+, total by country

Average years of primary schooling, 15+, total is the average years of primary education completed among people over age 15.

Countries reporting
144
Highest
8.56
Czechia
Lowest
1.33
Mali
Median
5.01
Years covered
51
1960–2010
Data points
1,584

What the numbers show

Barro-Lee: Average years of primary schooling, age 15+, total is currently reported for 144 countries. The highest value is 8.56 in Czechia; the lowest is 1.33 in Mali.

The median across all reporting countries is 5.01, and the mean is 4.81.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 6.

Over the past decade 127 countries rose and 16 fell. The largest increase was in Mozambique (up 68.1%), and the largest decrease in Armenia (down 8.0%).

Barro-Lee: Average years of primary schooling, age 15+, total: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Czechia 8.56 2010 down 3.6% rising
2 Slovakia 8.04 2010 down 5.0% rising
3 Belize 7.7 2010 down 0.3% rising
4 Hungary 7.69 2010 down 2.9% rising
5 Poland 7.39 2010 up 2.1% rising
6 Trinidad and Tobago 6.81 2010 up 1.5% rising
7 Ireland 6.65 2010 up 7.1% flat
8 Croatia 6.6 2010 up 0.5% rising
9 Argentina 6.57 2010 up 4.0% rising
10 Romania 6.56 2010 down 4.8% rising
11 Albania 6.48 2010 unchanged rising
11 Fiji 6.48 2010 down 3.6% rising
13 New Zealand 6.41 2010 down 3.6% falling
14 Slovenia 6.39 2010 down 7.1% rising
15 Israel 6.38 2010 up 3.9% rising
16 Switzerland 6.29 2010 up 12.7% flat
17 Botswana 6.26 2010 up 7.6% rising
18 Norway 6.22 2010 down 6.3% falling
19 South Africa 6.21 2010 up 16.1% rising
20 Bulgaria 6.13 2010 up 8.7% rising
21 Serbia 6.03 2010 down 3.2% rising
22 El Salvador 6.02 2010 up 18.3% rising
23 Estonia 5.98 2010 up 0.2% rising
24 Australia 5.97 2010 up 2.9% rising
25 United States 5.96 2010 up 0.2% rising
26 Netherlands 5.95 2010 up 1.4% flat
27 Japan 5.91 2010 up 0.9% rising
28 United Kingdom 5.9 2010 up 4.8% rising
29 Canada 5.88 2010 up 1.7% rising
29 Tonga 5.88 2010 up 1.9% rising
31 Sri Lanka 5.87 2010 down 0.3% rising
32 Barbados 5.83 2010 up 3.4% rising
33 Iceland 5.82 2010 up 2.8% rising
33 Malta 5.82 2010 up 9.0% rising
35 Cyprus 5.8 2010 up 7.8% rising
35 Sweden 5.8 2010 up 0.3% rising
37 South Korea 5.77 2010 up 2.7% rising
38 Zambia 5.76 2010 up 12.9% rising
39 Greece 5.75 2010 up 9.3% rising
40 Zimbabwe 5.64 2010 up 17.5% rising
41 Hong Kong 5.61 2010 up 16.9% rising
42 Uruguay 5.6 2010 up 2.2% rising
43 Denmark 5.59 2010 up 3.7% rising
44 Luxembourg 5.58 2010 up 2.6% rising
45 Belgium 5.57 2010 down 0.4% flat
46 Chile 5.55 2010 up 7.4% rising
47 Spain 5.52 2010 up 9.5% rising
48 Jordan 5.48 2010 up 15.1% rising
49 Bolivia 5.47 2010 down 2.3% rising
49 Jamaica 5.47 2010 up 2.8% rising
51 Cuba 5.41 2010 up 6.1% rising
51 Finland 5.41 2010 up 10.0% rising
53 Malaysia 5.37 2010 up 6.3% rising
54 Philippines 5.35 2010 up 8.5% rising
55 Brazil 5.31 2010 up 12.7% rising
56 Guyana 5.27 2010 up 3.5% rising
56 Panama 5.27 2010 up 2.1% rising
58 Costa Rica 5.25 2010 up 0.6% rising
58 Thailand 5.25 2010 up 27.7% rising
60 Peru 5.22 2010 up 8.3% rising
60 Tanzania 5.22 2010 up 17.0% rising
62 Venezuela 5.18 2010 up 15.6% rising
63 Lithuania 5.17 2010 up 3.2% rising
64 Russia 5.14 2010 up 0.8% rising
65 Paraguay 5.11 2010 up 15.6% rising
66 Indonesia 5.1 2010 up 25.9% rising
67 United Arab Emirates 5.08 2010 up 10.0% volatile
67 Mexico 5.08 2010 up 8.8% rising
69 China 5.07 2010 up 5.4% rising
69 Qatar 5.07 2010 up 41.6% rising
71 Ecuador 5.06 2010 up 12.4% rising
72 Latvia 5.02 2010 up 1.0% rising
73 Singapore 5 2010 up 7.3% rising
74 Saudi Arabia 4.99 2010 up 15.2% rising
74 Ukraine 4.99 2010 up 0.2% rising
76 Dominican Republic 4.92 2010 up 3.1% rising
76 Mauritius 4.92 2010 up 12.6% rising
78 France 4.89 2010 up 3.4% rising
79 Portugal 4.88 2010 up 7.0% rising
80 Macao 4.87 2010 up 10.7% rising
81 Germany 4.83 2010 down 2.8% rising
81 Lesotho 4.83 2010 up 0.4% rising
83 Gabon 4.79 2010 up 13.0% rising
83 Namibia 4.79 2010 up 7.9% rising
85 Brunei 4.71 2010 up 0.9% rising
86 Colombia 4.69 2010 up 15.8% rising
86 Italy 4.69 2010 up 1.5% rising
88 Syria 4.64 2010 up 30.3% rising
89 Armenia 4.62 2010 down 8.0% rising
90 Libya 4.53 2010 up 7.9% rising
91 Honduras 4.49 2010 up 5.6% rising
91 Turkey 4.49 2010 up 11.4% rising
93 Kenya 4.47 2010 up 2.8% rising
94 Tunisia 4.42 2010 up 17.9% rising
94 Uganda 4.42 2010 up 19.5% rising
96 Iran 4.32 2010 up 8.8% rising
97 Cameroon 4.26 2010 up 7.3% rising
98 Iraq 4.23 2010 up 12.2% volatile
99 Algeria 4.19 2010 up 12.3% volatile
100 Nicaragua 4.17 2010 up 17.5% rising
101 Malawi 4.15 2010 up 33.0% rising
102 Bahrain 4.05 2010 down 5.6% rising
102 Ghana 4.05 2010 up 9.2% rising
104 Vietnam 4.03 2010 up 2.8% rising
105 Kazakhstan 3.97 2010 up 2.1% rising
105 Tajikistan 3.97 2010 up 0.5% rising
107 Kyrgyzstan 3.95 2010 up 2.1% rising
108 Moldova 3.91 2010 up 6.2% rising
109 Maldives 3.89 2010 up 37.5% rising
109 Eswatini 3.89 2010 up 12.8% rising
111 Austria 3.85 2010 up 1.0% flat
112 Egypt 3.84 2010 up 9.7% volatile
113 Congo 3.78 2010 up 5.6% rising
114 Cambodia 3.68 2010 up 24.3% rising
115 Rwanda 3.64 2010 up 29.1% rising
116 Guatemala 3.62 2010 up 18.7% rising
117 Mauritania 3.61 2010 up 28.5% rising
118 Papua New Guinea 3.57 2010 up 22.3% volatile
119 Togo 3.55 2010 up 10.6% volatile
120 Bangladesh 3.38 2010 up 23.4% rising
121 Laos 3.36 2010 up 8.4% rising
122 India 3.3 2010 up 20.9% rising
123 Haiti 3.25 2010 up 15.7% rising
124 Cote d'Ivoire 3.24 2010 up 20.9% rising
125 Mongolia 3.19 2010 up 2.6% rising
126 Myanmar 3.17 2010 up 21.0% rising
127 Kuwait 3.07 2010 up 16.3% rising
128 Liberia 2.88 2010 up 24.7% rising
129 Morocco 2.81 2010 up 30.7% volatile
130 Nepal 2.8 2010 up 46.6% volatile
131 Burundi 2.78 2010 up 23.6% rising
132 Sierra Leone 2.67 2010 up 36.9% volatile
133 Pakistan 2.66 2010 up 37.1% rising
134 Afghanistan 2.64 2010 up 31.3% volatile
135 Democratic Republic of Congo 2.61 2010 up 6.1% rising
136 Central African Republic 2.6 2010 up 12.1% volatile
137 Benin 2.57 2010 up 30.5% volatile
138 Sudan 2.53 2010 up 16.1% volatile
139 Yemen 2.39 2010 up 50.3% volatile
140 Gambia 2.21 2010 up 40.8% volatile
141 Senegal 2.08 2010 up 43.4% falling
142 Mozambique 1.58 2010 up 68.1% rising
143 Niger 1.43 2010 up 33.6% rising
144 Mali 1.33 2010 up 38.5% volatile

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Barro-Lee: Average years of primary schooling, age 15+, total by country. Statizoid, drawing on Robert J. Barro and Jong-Wha Lee: http://www.barrolee.com/. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/barro-lee-average-years-of-primary-schooling-age-15-total/

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About this data

Indicator
Barro-Lee: Average years of primary schooling, age 15+, total
Source
Robert J. Barro and Jong-Wha Lee: http://www.barrolee.com/
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
144 places, 1,584 data points, 1960–2010
Last refreshed

Average years of primary schooling, 15+, total is the average years of primary education completed among people over age 15.