Gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes was 70.5% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Bangladesh, 1973–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bangladesh recorded 70.5% for gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2018. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.3% on the previous year and up 34.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Bangladesh peaked at 70.5% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 32.2%, in 1981.
That places Bangladesh 125th out of 181 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 38.4% | — |
| 1976 | 38.5% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 35.9% | -6.9% |
| 1979 | 34.0% | -5.4% |
| 1980 | 33.9% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 32.2% | -4.8% |
| 1983 | 34.8% | +8.1% |
| 1984 | 34.7% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 33.8% | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 33.5% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 33.1% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 37.1% | +11.9% |
| 1989 | 36.9% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 38.2% | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 52.9% | +38.4% |
| 2006 | 53.5% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 53.7% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 52.5% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 55.6% | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 68.2% | +22.7% |
| 2018 | 70.5% | +3.3% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 70.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 66.2%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 70.5% is below the median for South Asia, which is 71.5%, 99% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Bangladesh changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +38.4% | 38.2% | 52.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 36.7% | 34.0% | 38.5% | 4 |
| 1980s | 34.4% | 32.2% | 37.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 38.2% | 38.2% | 38.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 53.6% | 52.5% | 55.6% | 5 |
| 2010s | 69.3% | 68.2% | 70.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More education data for Bangladesh
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 571,690 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 387,056 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.77 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16.69 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0961 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Bangladesh?
- Gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Bangladesh was 70.5% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 70.5% in 2018.
- What is the lowest gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.2% in 1981.
- How does Bangladesh rank for gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Bangladesh ranks 125th out of 181 countries with data for 2018.
- Is gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Gross enrolment ratio, primary to tertiary, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total enrollment in primary, secondary and tertiary education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the total population of primary school age, secondary school age, and the five-year age group following on from secondary school leaving. 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.