Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Maldives
Maldives: Share of children who are not in pre-primary school was 18.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Maldives, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Maldives stood at 18.6%.
The figure is up 214.5% on the previous year and up 109.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Maldives peaked at 33.9% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 2017.
That places Maldives 77th out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Maldives, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 33.9% | — |
| 2000 | 30.0% | -11.5% |
| 2001 | 30.5% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 29.6% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 23.3% | -21.2% |
| 2006 | 17.2% | -26.1% |
| 2007 | 15.1% | -12.4% |
| 2008 | 13.6% | -9.9% |
| 2009 | 20.3% | +49.2% |
| 2010 | 12.3% | -39.2% |
| 2011 | 16.1% | +30.5% |
| 2012 | 12.7% | -21.3% |
| 2013 | 6.0% | -53.1% |
| 2014 | 8.9% | +49.3% |
| 2015 | 10.8% | +21.1% |
| 2016 | 5.5% | -49.0% |
| 2017 | 3.9% | -28.3% |
| 2018 | 4.8% | +22.7% |
| 2019 | 5.9% | +21.9% |
| 2020 | 6.5% | +11.0% |
| 2022 | 15.5% | +136.8% |
| 2023 | 5.9% | -61.8% |
| 2024 | 18.6% | +214.5% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 18.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.6%, 1.3× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 18.6% is below the median for South Asia, which is 20.0%, 93% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 33.9% | 33.9% | 33.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 22.5% | 13.6% | 30.5% | 8 |
| 2010s | 8.7% | 3.9% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.6% | 5.9% | 18.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
More education data for Maldives
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3,474 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 8,838 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4,920 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 33,002 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 44,013 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -3.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0834 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Maldives?
- Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Maldives was 18.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 33.9% in 1999.
- What is the lowest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 2017.
- How does Maldives rank for share of children who are not in pre-primary school?
- Maldives ranks 77th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children who are not in pre-primary school rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is up 109.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Maldives data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are not in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Children one year before the official primary entry age (typically age 5) not enrolled in pre-primary education, expressed as a percentage of all children in that age group.