Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public was 19.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in Sri Lanka, 2011–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in Sri Lanka stood at 19.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.9% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in Sri Lanka peaked at 24.5% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 16.1%, in 2014.
That places Sri Lanka 163rd out of 183 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 18.0% | — |
| 2012 | 16.3% | -9.3% |
| 2013 | 17.3% | +5.8% |
| 2014 | 16.1% | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 18.2% | +13.1% |
| 2016 | 19.5% | +6.8% |
| 2017 | 21.5% | +10.5% |
| 2018 | 20.6% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 24.5% | +18.5% |
| 2020 | 19.8% | -18.9% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 19.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 81.2%, 24% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 19.8% is below the median for South Asia, which is 52.5%, 38% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 19.1% | 16.1% | 24.5% | 9 |
| 2020s | 19.8% | 19.8% | 19.8% | 1 |
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 percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in Sri Lanka?
- Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in Sri Lanka was 19.8% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 24.5% in 2019.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.1% in 2014.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public?
- Sri Lanka ranks 163rd out of 183 countries with data for 2020.
- Is percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public institutions, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release