Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary was 65.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Sri Lanka, 1971–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in cumulative.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Sri Lanka stood at 65.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Sri Lanka peaked at 74.0% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 11.6%, in 1971.
That places Sri Lanka 61st out of 142 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | cumulative | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 11.6% | — |
| 2001 | 56.1% | +381.7% |
| 2009 | 74.0% | +31.9% |
| 2016 | 61.7% | -16.7% |
| 2017 | 62.5% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 63.0% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 62.3% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 64.8% | +4.0% |
| 2021 | 63.7% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 64.1% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 65.2% | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 65.3% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11.6% | 11.6% | 11.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 65.1% | 56.1% | 74.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 62.4% | 61.7% | 63.0% | 4 |
| 2020s | 64.6% | 63.7% | 65.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 58 Brunei Darussalam 67.9% compare
- 59 Bahrain 66.4% compare
- 60 Hong Kong, China 66.3% compare
- 62 Oman 63.5% compare
- 63 Timor-Leste 63.5% compare
- 64 Trinidad and Tobago 63.4% compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,024 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0494 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Sri Lanka?
- Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary in Sri Lanka was 65.3% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 74.0% in 2009.
- What is the lowest educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.6% in 1971.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary?
- Sri Lanka ranks 61st out of 142 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. 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 Educational attainment, at least completed upper secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed upper secondary education.