Duration of compulsory education in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Duration of compulsory education was 11 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
11
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
65th
of 205 countries
All-time high
11
in 2016
All-time low
9
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Sri Lanka, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for duration of compulsory education in Sri Lanka is 11, 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 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 9, in 1998.
Sri Lanka ranks 65th of 205 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 in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9 | — |
| 1999 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 11 | +22.2% |
| 2017 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 11 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 11 | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 11 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 11 is above the median for South Asia, which is 9, 1.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 2 |
| 2000s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.8 | 9 | 11 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11 | 11 | 11 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 65 Antigua and Barbuda 11 compare
- 65 Australia 11 compare
- 65 Barbados 11 compare
- 65 Belarus 11 compare
- 65 Ghana 11 compare
- 65 Latvia 11 compare
- 65 Lithuania 11 compare
- 65 Malta 11 compare
- 65 Monaco 11 compare
- 65 Niue 11 compare
- 65 Panama 11 compare
- 65 Russia 11 compare
- 65 Senegal 11 compare
- 65 Seychelles 11 compare
- 65 Slovakia 11 compare
- 65 Switzerland 11 compare
- 65 Tokelau 11 compare
- 65 Ukraine 11 compare
- 65 United Kingdom 11 compare
- 65 Uzbekistan 11 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 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 11 in 2016.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 in 1998.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Sri Lanka ranks 65th out of 205 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Duration of compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).