Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Uganda
Uganda: Enrolment in primary education, both sexes was 8.84 million in 2017. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2017)
8.84 million
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
17th
of 218 countries
All-time high
8.84 million
in 2017
All-time low
729,522
in 1970
Years of data
47
1970–2017
Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Uganda, 1970–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2017, enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Uganda stood at 8.84 million. That is the highest value across all 47 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 17.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Uganda peaked at 8.84 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 729,522, in 1970.
Uganda ranks 17th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Uganda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 729,522 | — |
| 1971 | 793,530 | +8.8% |
| 1972 | 783,276 | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 814,673 | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 878,096 | +7.8% |
| 1975 | 973,604 | +10.9% |
| 1976 | 1.04 million | +6.5% |
| 1977 | 1.14 million | +9.9% |
| 1978 | 1.21 million | +6.1% |
| 1979 | 1.22 million | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 1.30 million | +6.4% |
| 1981 | 1.41 million | +8.0% |
| 1982 | 1.62 million | +14.9% |
| 1983 | 1.73 million | +7.0% |
| 1984 | 1.93 million | +11.6% |
| 1985 | 2.12 million | +9.7% |
| 1986 | 2.20 million | +4.1% |
| 1987 | 2.31 million | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 2.42 million | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 2.37 million | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 2.47 million | +4.4% |
| 1991 | 2.58 million | +4.3% |
| 1992 | 2.40 million | -6.7% |
| 1993 | 2.67 million | +11.3% |
| 1994 | 2.79 million | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 2.91 million | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 3.07 million | +5.4% |
| 1997 | 5.30 million | +72.8% |
| 1998 | 5.81 million | +9.5% |
| 1999 | 6.29 million | +8.3% |
| 2000 | 6.56 million | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 6.90 million | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 7.35 million | +6.6% |
| 2003 | 7.63 million | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 7.38 million | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 7.22 million | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 7.36 million | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 7.54 million | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 7.96 million | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 8.30 million | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 8.37 million | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 8.10 million | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 8.33 million | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 8.46 million | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 8.26 million | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 8.66 million | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 8.84 million | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 958,180 | 729,522 | 1.22 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.94 million | 1.30 million | 2.42 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.63 million | 2.40 million | 6.29 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.42 million | 6.56 million | 8.30 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.43 million | 8.10 million | 8.84 million | 7 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More education data for Uganda
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0497 % change on previous year (2014)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 207,238 (2017)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 54.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 43.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Uganda?
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Uganda was 8.84 million in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in primary education, both sexes recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 8.84 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, both sexes recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 729,522 in 1970.
- How does Uganda rank for enrolment in primary education, both sexes?
- Uganda ranks 17th out of 218 countries with data for 2017.
- Is enrolment in primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release