Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public was 40.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in United Kingdom, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in United Kingdom is 40.9%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in United Kingdom peaked at 94.0% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 40.9%, in 2023.
That places United Kingdom 142nd out of 183 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 93.9% | — |
| 2000 | 94.0% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 94.0% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 93.8% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 93.4% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 91.5% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 71.0% | -22.4% |
| 2008 | 70.5% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 71.9% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 79.0% | +10.0% |
| 2011 | 71.2% | -10.0% |
| 2012 | 62.5% | -12.1% |
| 2013 | 47.1% | -24.7% |
| 2014 | 69.8% | +48.2% |
| 2015 | 50.7% | -27.3% |
| 2016 | 52.4% | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 51.2% | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 46.9% | -8.3% |
| 2019 | 44.8% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 44.4% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 43.0% | -3.2% |
| 2022 | 41.6% | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 40.9% | -1.7% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 40.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 69.4%, 59% of the median. (73 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 40.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 86.0%, 48% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in United Kingdom 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +48.2% | 47.1% | 69.8% |
| 2015 | -27.3% | 69.8% | 50.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 93.9% | 93.9% | 93.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 85.0% | 70.5% | 94.0% | 8 |
| 2010s | 57.6% | 44.8% | 79.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.5% | 40.9% | 44.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in United Kingdom?
- Percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public in United Kingdom was 40.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 94.0% in 2001.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.9% in 2023.
- How does United Kingdom rank for percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public?
- United Kingdom ranks 142nd out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in pre-primary education in public rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release