Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in South Asia
South Asia: Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes was 82.1% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in South Asia, 1970–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Asia recorded 82.1% for gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in 2019.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in South Asia peaked at 87.6% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 45.6%, in 1971.
South Asia ranks 34th of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in South Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 45.8% | — |
| 1971 | 45.6% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 46.5% | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 48.5% | +4.2% |
| 1974 | 48.3% | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 48.9% | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 48.8% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 49.8% | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 48.6% | -2.6% |
| 1979 | 48.9% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 50.0% | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 51.1% | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 51.9% | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 53.8% | +3.7% |
| 1984 | 55.1% | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 55.5% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 56.7% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 55.9% | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 57.1% | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 58.3% | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 59.2% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 60.4% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 61.8% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 63.4% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 64.2% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 64.0% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 64.0% | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 64.2% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 63.0% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 62.7% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 64.0% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 63.9% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 65.4% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 69.2% | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 70.8% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 72.6% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 74.0% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 75.9% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 77.3% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 77.0% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 78.8% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 80.1% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 82.0% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 82.4% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 84.2% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 84.5% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 87.6% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 86.2% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 82.4% | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 82.1% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 48.0% | 45.6% | 49.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 54.5% | 50.0% | 58.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 62.7% | 59.2% | 64.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.0% | 63.9% | 77.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.0% | 78.8% | 87.6% | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More education data for South Asia
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 4.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.84 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.6% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 68.1% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0959 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 160.82 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 152.88 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in South Asia?
- Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes in South Asia was 82.1% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 87.6% in 2016.
- What is the lowest gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.6% in 1971.
- How does South Asia rank for gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- South Asia ranks 34th out of 45 groups with data for 2019.
- Is gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Gross enrolment ratio, primary and secondary, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total enrollment in primary and secondary education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the total population of official primary and secondary education age. GER can exceed 100% due to the inclusion of over-aged and under-aged students because of early or late school entrance and grade repetition.