Statizoid

Barro-Lee: Average years of primary schooling, age 25+, total by country

Average years of primary schooling, 25+, total is the average years of primary education completed among people over age 25.

Countries reporting
144
Highest
8.9
Czechia
Lowest
0.96
Mali
Median
4.89
Years covered
51
1960–2010
Data points
1,584

What the numbers show

Barro-Lee: Average years of primary schooling, age 25+, total is currently reported for 144 countries. The highest value is 8.9 in Czechia; the lowest is 0.96 in Mali.

The median across all reporting countries is 4.89, and the mean is 4.65.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 9.

Over the past decade 131 countries rose and 13 fell. The largest increase was in Yemen (up 115.4%), and the largest decrease in Slovenia (down 9.6%).

Barro-Lee: Average years of primary schooling, age 25+, total: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Czechia 8.9 2010 down 0.6% rising
2 Slovakia 8.85 2010 up 3.5% rising
3 Belize 7.99 2010 up 5.4% rising
4 Hungary 7.97 2010 up 0.8% rising
5 Poland 7.45 2010 up 5.4% rising
6 Romania 7.05 2010 up 4.4% rising
7 Trinidad and Tobago 6.77 2010 up 1.8% rising
8 Slovenia 6.76 2010 down 9.6% rising
9 Croatia 6.7 2010 down 5.5% rising
10 Albania 6.67 2010 up 10.4% rising
11 Fiji 6.65 2010 down 6.3% rising
12 Argentina 6.61 2010 up 7.0% rising
13 Ireland 6.6 2010 up 3.9% rising
14 New Zealand 6.59 2010 down 2.7% falling
15 Serbia 6.43 2010 down 4.7% rising
16 Switzerland 6.38 2010 up 10.6% flat
17 Israel 6.23 2010 up 9.3% rising
18 Norway 6.22 2010 down 7.9% falling
19 Bulgaria 6.14 2010 up 18.3% rising
20 Sri Lanka 6.08 2010 down 0.2% rising
21 South Africa 5.99 2010 up 20.5% rising
22 Estonia 5.98 2010 up 0.2% rising
22 El Salvador 5.98 2010 up 40.7% rising
24 Netherlands 5.95 2010 up 1.5% flat
24 United States 5.95 2010 up 0.2% rising
26 Japan 5.9 2010 up 1.2% rising
27 Australia 5.88 2010 up 1.6% rising
27 United Kingdom 5.88 2010 up 5.4% rising
29 Canada 5.87 2010 up 2.3% rising
30 Tonga 5.86 2010 up 3.0% rising
31 Barbados 5.81 2010 up 4.1% rising
31 Sweden 5.81 2010 up 0.9% rising
33 Botswana 5.8 2010 up 14.4% volatile
34 Malta 5.79 2010 up 12.0% rising
35 Cyprus 5.77 2010 up 10.5% rising
36 South Korea 5.73 2010 up 3.6% rising
37 Greece 5.72 2010 up 11.5% rising
38 Iceland 5.67 2010 up 1.2% rising
39 Luxembourg 5.55 2010 up 1.6% rising
40 Hong Kong 5.54 2010 up 21.2% rising
41 Belgium 5.53 2010 down 0.2% flat
41 Denmark 5.53 2010 up 4.1% rising
41 Spain 5.53 2010 up 8.6% rising
44 Uruguay 5.52 2010 up 2.4% rising
45 Chile 5.45 2010 up 8.6% rising
46 Lithuania 5.43 2010 up 7.5% rising
47 Jamaica 5.39 2010 up 4.7% rising
48 Russia 5.33 2010 up 3.7% rising
49 Zambia 5.32 2010 up 10.8% rising
50 Finland 5.31 2010 up 11.3% rising
51 Cuba 5.3 2010 up 6.9% rising
52 Ukraine 5.28 2010 up 6.0% rising
53 Jordan 5.25 2010 up 20.4% volatile
54 Latvia 5.23 2010 up 2.8% rising
55 Malaysia 5.22 2010 up 9.2% rising
56 Guyana 5.18 2010 up 3.8% rising
56 Panama 5.18 2010 up 3.2% rising
58 Costa Rica 5.15 2010 up 1.6% rising
58 Philippines 5.15 2010 up 11.0% rising
60 Armenia 5.13 2010 down 4.5% rising
61 Brazil 5.12 2010 up 31.6% rising
62 Bolivia 5.09 2010 up 3.5% rising
63 China 5.07 2010 up 6.5% rising
64 Qatar 5.01 2010 up 48.7% rising
65 Zimbabwe 5 2010 up 31.9% rising
66 Peru 4.99 2010 up 11.4% rising
66 Venezuela 4.99 2010 up 19.7% rising
68 Germany 4.98 2010 down 3.7% rising
69 United Arab Emirates 4.97 2010 up 11.9% volatile
69 Thailand 4.97 2010 up 33.6% rising
71 Singapore 4.92 2010 up 8.4% rising
72 Indonesia 4.9 2010 up 33.9% rising
73 France 4.89 2010 up 4.0% rising
74 Paraguay 4.88 2010 up 17.9% rising
75 Ecuador 4.84 2010 up 13.6% rising
76 Mexico 4.82 2010 up 12.1% rising
77 Tanzania 4.75 2010 up 11.2% rising
78 Brunei 4.73 2010 up 1.7% rising
78 Namibia 4.73 2010 up 10.3% rising
80 Portugal 4.71 2010 up 10.0% rising
81 Mauritius 4.69 2010 up 14.1% rising
82 Dominican Republic 4.67 2010 up 4.7% rising
83 Italy 4.64 2010 up 1.8% rising
83 Macao 4.64 2010 up 8.4% rising
85 Lesotho 4.63 2010 up 1.3% rising
86 Colombia 4.6 2010 up 18.3% rising
87 Saudi Arabia 4.56 2010 up 14.6% rising
88 Gabon 4.41 2010 up 21.8% volatile
89 Kenya 4.36 2010 up 9.8% rising
90 Syria 4.32 2010 up 31.3% volatile
91 Vietnam 4.31 2010 up 11.4% rising
92 Turkey 4.28 2010 up 12.0% rising
93 Cameroon 4.24 2010 up 18.8% volatile
94 Iran 4.21 2010 up 18.6% volatile
95 Libya 4.2 2010 up 15.1% volatile
96 Uganda 4.04 2010 up 27.4% rising
97 Honduras 4.02 2010 up 6.6% rising
98 Kazakhstan 3.97 2010 up 3.1% rising
99 Tajikistan 3.96 2010 up 0.8% rising
99 Tunisia 3.96 2010 up 26.1% volatile
101 Kyrgyzstan 3.94 2010 up 2.6% rising
102 Iraq 3.91 2010 up 23.3% volatile
102 Moldova 3.91 2010 up 8.0% rising
104 Bahrain 3.88 2010 down 2.5% rising
105 Austria 3.84 2010 up 0.8% flat
106 Algeria 3.81 2010 up 22.9% volatile
107 Nicaragua 3.78 2010 up 16.3% rising
108 Ghana 3.75 2010 up 8.7% rising
109 Malawi 3.66 2010 up 38.1% rising
110 Egypt 3.62 2010 up 27.9% volatile
111 Congo 3.55 2010 up 10.6% volatile
112 Papua New Guinea 3.32 2010 up 29.2% volatile
113 Guatemala 3.26 2010 up 18.5% rising
114 Cambodia 3.22 2010 up 19.7% rising
115 Laos 3.19 2010 up 9.6% rising
116 Eswatini 3.15 2010 up 6.8% rising
117 Mongolia 3.14 2010 down 4.6% rising
118 Rwanda 3 2010 up 52.3% volatile
119 Kuwait 2.97 2010 up 17.9% rising
120 Haiti 2.93 2010 up 18.1% volatile
120 Maldives 2.93 2010 up 37.6% rising
122 Mauritania 2.91 2010 up 23.8% rising
123 Togo 2.89 2010 up 7.8% volatile
124 Bangladesh 2.87 2010 up 19.1% rising
125 India 2.83 2010 up 18.9% rising
126 Cote d'Ivoire 2.8 2010 up 29.6% volatile
127 Myanmar 2.76 2010 up 28.4% rising
128 Democratic Republic of Congo 2.59 2010 up 9.7% volatile
129 Liberia 2.5 2010 up 13.6% volatile
130 Central African Republic 2.44 2010 up 24.5% volatile
131 Morocco 2.35 2010 up 29.1% volatile
132 Sudan 2.32 2010 up 31.8% volatile
133 Pakistan 2.31 2010 up 43.5% rising
134 Burundi 2.29 2010 up 43.1% rising
135 Afghanistan 2.19 2010 up 58.7% volatile
136 Sierra Leone 2.11 2010 up 31.1% volatile
137 Nepal 2.06 2010 up 54.9% volatile
138 Benin 1.95 2010 up 21.1% volatile
139 Senegal 1.7 2010 up 25.0% falling
140 Yemen 1.68 2010 up 115.4% volatile
141 Gambia 1.62 2010 up 38.5% volatile
142 Niger 1.11 2010 up 32.1% rising
143 Mozambique 1.06 2010 up 32.5% rising
144 Mali 0.96 2010 up 20.0% volatile

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Barro-Lee: Average years of primary schooling, age 25+, 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-25-total/

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About this data

Indicator
Barro-Lee: Average years of primary schooling, age 25+, 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, 25+, total is the average years of primary education completed among people over age 25.