Official entrance age to primary education in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Official entrance age to primary education was 5 years in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
5 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
192nd
of 218 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 1970
All-time low
5 years
in 1998
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Official entrance age to primary education in Sri Lanka, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 5 years for official entrance age to primary education in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to primary education in Sri Lanka peaked at 6 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 5 years, in 1998.
That places Sri Lanka 192nd out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Official entrance age to primary education in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6 years | — |
| 1971 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 5 years | -16.7% |
| 1999 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.8 years | 5 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 192 Antigua and Barbuda 5 years compare
- 192 Australia 5 years compare
- 192 Bahamas 5 years compare
- 192 Belize 5 years compare
- 192 Bermuda 5 years compare
- 192 Barbados 5 years compare
- 192 Cayman Islands 5 years compare
- 192 Dominica 5 years compare
- 192 Falkland Islands 5 years compare
- 192 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 5 years compare
- 192 Gibraltar 5 years compare
- 192 Grenada 5 years compare
- 192 Ireland 5 years compare
- 192 Saint Kitts and Nevis 5 years compare
- 192 Saint Lucia 5 years compare
- 192 Malta 5 years compare
- 192 Myanmar 5 years compare
- 192 Mauritius 5 years compare
- 192 Norfolk Island 5 years compare
- 192 Nepal 5 years compare
- 192 New Zealand 5 years compare
- 192 Pakistan 5 years compare
- 192 Trinidad and Tobago 5 years compare
- 192 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5 years compare
- 192 British Virgin Islands 5 years compare
- 192 Samoa 5 years compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.25 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.3876 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 439,099 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.72 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 358,218 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -5.98 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 64,434 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 8,899 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 222,100 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -5.62 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to primary education in Sri Lanka?
- Official entrance age to primary education in Sri Lanka was 5 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to primary education recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to primary education recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 years in 1998.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for official entrance age to primary education?
- Sri Lanka ranks 192nd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to primary education rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 Official entrance age to primary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release