Percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions was 50.6% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Latest (2020)
50.6%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
166th
of 200 countries
All-time high
51.2%
in 2001
All-time low
49.2%
in 2004
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 50.6% for percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka peaked at 51.2% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 49.2%, in 2004.
That places Sri Lanka 166th out of 200 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 51.2% | — |
| 2002 | 51.1% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 51.0% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 49.2% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 50.9% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 51.0% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 51.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 50.9% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 50.9% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 50.8% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 50.8% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 50.7% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 50.8% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 50.7% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 50.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 50.7% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 50.6% | -0.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 50.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 51.6%, 98% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 50.6% is above the median for South Asia, which is 49.8%, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 50.8% | 49.2% | 51.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 50.7% | 50.7% | 50.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 50.6% | 50.6% | 50.6% | 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 50.6% 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 51.2% in 2001.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.2% in 2004.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for percentage of enrolment in primary education in public institutions?
- Sri Lanka ranks 166th 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 down 0.5%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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