Compulsory education, duration in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Compulsory education, duration was 11 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Compulsory education, duration in Sri Lanka, 1998–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for compulsory education, duration in Sri Lanka is 11 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, compulsory education, duration in Sri Lanka peaked at 11 years in 2016 and was at its lowest, 9 years, in 1998.
That places Sri Lanka 62nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Compulsory education, duration in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9 years | — |
| 1999 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 11 years | +22.2% |
| 2017 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 11 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 11 years | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 11 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10 years, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 11 years is above the median for South Asia, which is 9 years, 1.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.8 years | 9 years | 11 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 11 years | 11 years | 11 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 62 Antigua and Barbuda 11 years compare
- 62 Australia 11 years compare
- 62 Barbados 11 years compare
- 62 Belarus 11 years compare
- 62 Ghana 11 years compare
- 62 Latvia 11 years compare
- 62 Lithuania 11 years compare
- 62 Malta 11 years compare
- 62 Monaco 11 years compare
- 62 Panama 11 years compare
- 62 Russia 11 years compare
- 62 Senegal 11 years compare
- 62 Seychelles 11 years compare
- 62 Slovakia 11 years compare
- 62 Switzerland 11 years compare
- 62 Ukraine 11 years compare
- 62 United Kingdom 11 years compare
- 62 Uzbekistan 11 years compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is compulsory education, duration in Sri Lanka?
- Compulsory education, duration in Sri Lanka was 11 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest compulsory education, duration recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 11 years in 2016.
- What is the lowest compulsory education, duration recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 years in 1998.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for compulsory education, duration?
- Sri Lanka ranks 62nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is compulsory education, duration rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Compulsory education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.