Duration of compulsory education (years) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Duration of compulsory education (years) was 11 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
11 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
65th
of 206 countries
All-time high
11 years
in 2016
All-time low
9 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Sri Lanka, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for duration of compulsory education 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, duration of compulsory education in Sri Lanka peaked at 11 years in 2016 and was at its lowest, 9 years, in 1998.
Sri Lanka ranks 65th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Duration of compulsory education (years) 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
- 65 Antigua and Barbuda 11 years compare
- 65 Australia 11 years compare
- 65 Belarus 11 years compare
- 65 Barbados 11 years compare
- 65 Switzerland 11 years compare
- 65 United Kingdom 11 years compare
- 65 Ghana 11 years compare
- 65 Lithuania 11 years compare
- 65 Latvia 11 years compare
- 65 Monaco 11 years compare
- 65 Malta 11 years compare
- 65 Niue 11 years compare
- 65 Panama 11 years compare
- 65 Russia 11 years compare
- 65 Senegal 11 years compare
- 65 Slovakia 11 years compare
- 65 Seychelles 11 years compare
- 65 Tokelau 11 years compare
- 65 Ukraine 11 years compare
- 65 Uzbekistan 11 years compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 91.41 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 90.86 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Sri Lanka?
- Duration of compulsory education in Sri Lanka was 11 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 11 years in 2016.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 years in 1998.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Sri Lanka ranks 65th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education 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 UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Duration of compulsory education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release