Enrolment in primary education, female in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Enrolment in primary education, female was 777,541 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
777,541
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
73rd
of 216 countries
All-time high
1.11 million
in 1986
All-time low
678,500
in 1975
Years of data
47
1970–2023
Enrolment in primary education, female in Sri Lanka, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 777,541 for enrolment in primary education, female in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, female in Sri Lanka peaked at 1.11 million in 1986 and was at its lowest, 678,500, in 1975.
Sri Lanka ranks 73rd of 216 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Enrolment in primary education, female in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 786,963 | — |
| 1971 | 844,038 | +7.3% |
| 1975 | 678,500 | -19.6% |
| 1976 | 681,257 | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 725,300 | +6.5% |
| 1978 | 918,747 | +26.7% |
| 1980 | 999,173 | +8.8% |
| 1981 | 1.03 million | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 1.03 million | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 1.04 million | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 1.05 million | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 1.08 million | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 1.11 million | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 981,948 | -11.7% |
| 1988 | 1.01 million | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 1.02 million | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 1.02 million | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 1.02 million | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 992,377 | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 971,905 | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 945,919 | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 946,665 | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 891,334 | -5.8% |
| 1998 | 873,911 | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 862,399 | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 845,351 | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 818,151 | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 802,531 | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 790,439 | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 790,064 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 794,804 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 800,689 | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 795,218 | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 844,703 | +6.2% |
| 2011 | 846,816 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 862,725 | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 869,646 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 874,393 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 874,489 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 866,820 | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 860,005 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 849,494 | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 843,207 | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 836,402 | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 827,009 | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 800,781 | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 777,541 | -2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 772,468 | 678,500 | 918,747 | 6 |
| 1980s | 1.04 million | 981,948 | 1.11 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 957,319 | 873,911 | 1.02 million | 8 |
| 2000s | 811,072 | 790,064 | 862,399 | 9 |
| 2010s | 859,230 | 843,207 | 874,489 | 10 |
| 2020s | 810,433 | 777,541 | 836,402 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- 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 2,024 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in primary education, female in Sri Lanka?
- Enrolment in primary education, female in Sri Lanka was 777,541 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in primary education, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 1.11 million in 1986.
- What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 678,500 in 1975.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for enrolment in primary education, female?
- Sri Lanka ranks 73rd out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in primary education, female rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in primary education, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release