Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both in Nepal
Nepal: Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both was 33.9% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Nepal, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Nepal stood at 33.9%. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.0% on the previous year and up 27.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Nepal peaked at 33.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1971.
That places Nepal 117th out of 135 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary … lower both in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 2.1% | — |
| 1981 | 4.8% | +129.7% |
| 2001 | 22.9% | +375.1% |
| 2008 | 29.6% | +29.1% |
| 2011 | 26.6% | -10.0% |
| 2016 | 27.8% | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 32.6% | +17.2% |
| 2021 | 33.9% | +4.0% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 33.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 42.3%, 80% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1 |
| 1980s | 4.8% | 4.8% | 4.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 26.2% | 22.9% | 29.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 29.0% | 26.6% | 32.6% | 3 |
| 2020s | 33.9% | 33.9% | 33.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More education data for Nepal
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.55 (2025)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.24 (2025)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 124,257 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 263,796 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 752,326 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Nepal?
- Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or in Nepal was 33.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 33.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1971.
- How does Nepal rank for educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or?
- Nepal ranks 117th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed lower secondary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release