Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 13.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sri Lanka, 2010–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 13.2% for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in 2023.
That represents a change of up 4.7% on the previous year and down 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sri Lanka peaked at 15.1% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 10.3%, in 2018.
Sri Lanka ranks 61st of 171 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 15.1% | — |
| 2011 | 14.5% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 11.0% | -24.0% |
| 2018 | 10.3% | -6.8% |
| 2022 | 12.6% | +23.1% |
| 2023 | 13.2% | +4.7% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 13.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 9.3%, 1.4× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 13.2% is below the median for South Asia, which is 19.0%, 70% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 12.7% | 10.3% | 15.1% | 4 |
| 2020s | 12.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sri Lanka?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Sri Lanka was 13.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 15.1% in 2010.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.3% in 2018.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Sri Lanka ranks 61st out of 171 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. 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 Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release