Percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions was 49.4% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Latest (2020)
49.4%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
35th
of 200 countries
All-time high
50.8%
in 2004
All-time low
48.8%
in 2001
Years of data
17
2001–2020
Percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka, 2001–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 49.4% for percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka peaked at 50.8% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 48.8%, in 2001.
Sri Lanka ranks 35th of 200 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 48.8% | — |
| 2002 | 48.9% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 49.0% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 50.8% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 49.1% | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 49.0% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 49.0% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 49.1% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 49.1% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 49.2% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 49.2% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 49.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 49.2% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 49.3% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 49.3% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 49.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 49.4% | +0.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 49.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 48.4%, 1.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 49.4% is below the median for South Asia, which is 50.2%, 98% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 49.2% | 48.8% | 50.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 49.3% | 49.2% | 49.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 49.4% | 49.4% | 49.4% | 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 primary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka?
- Percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka was 49.4% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 50.8% in 2004.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.8% in 2001.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions?
- Sri Lanka ranks 35th out of 200 countries with data for 2020.
- Is percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release