Duration of compulsory education in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Duration of compulsory education was 11 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
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 62nd of 200 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.
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 Belarus 11 years compare
- 62 Barbados 11 years compare
- 62 Switzerland 11 years compare
- 62 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 11 years compare
- 62 Ghana 11 years compare
- 62 Lithuania 11 years compare
- 62 Latvia 11 years compare
- 62 Monaco 11 years compare
- 62 Malta 11 years compare
- 62 Panama 11 years compare
- 62 Russia 11 years compare
- 62 Senegal 11 years compare
- 62 Slovak Republic 11 years compare
- 62 Seychelles 11 years compare
- 62 Ukraine 11 years compare
- 62 Uzbekistan 11 years compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 73,333 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 21.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 91.45 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 91.5% (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 62nd out of 200 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