Persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Asia
South Asia: Persistence to last grade of primary, male was 72.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Asia, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of cohort.
Analysis
The most recent figure for persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Asia is 72.0%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 19.8% on the previous year and down 9.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Asia peaked at 94.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 39.4%, in 1971.
That places South Asia 31st out of 45 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Asia, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 39.9% | — |
| 1971 | 39.4% | -1.1% |
| 1972 | 39.5% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 39.6% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 40.4% | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 41.2% | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 42.2% | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 43.0% | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 44.1% | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 45.0% | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 45.8% | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 47.0% | +2.6% |
| 1982 | 48.0% | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 49.2% | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 50.9% | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 51.6% | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 52.5% | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 61.7% | +17.5% |
| 1988 | 62.5% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 62.0% | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 61.7% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 61.2% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 60.8% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 60.5% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 60.1% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 60.6% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 61.1% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 61.6% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 62.0% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 62.5% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 59.1% | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 59.7% | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 61.3% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 63.2% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 64.7% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 66.4% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 68.3% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 70.2% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 71.8% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 72.9% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 74.2% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 75.8% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 77.5% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 79.3% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 88.5% | +11.7% |
| 2015 | 86.4% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 85.4% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 87.4% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 83.4% | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 93.4% | +12.0% |
| 2020 | 94.5% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 94.9% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 60.1% | -36.7% |
| 2023 | 72.0% | +19.8% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Asia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -36.7% | 94.9% | 60.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 41.4% | 39.4% | 45.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 53.1% | 45.8% | 62.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.2% | 60.1% | 62.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.8% | 59.1% | 72.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.1% | 74.2% | 93.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.4% | 60.1% | 94.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More education data for South Asia
- Population ages 0-14 24.6% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 4.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0959 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 152.88 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 68.1% (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 160.82 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 5.84 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Asia?
- Persistence to last grade of primary, male in South Asia was 72.0% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest persistence to last grade of primary, male recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 94.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest persistence to last grade of primary, male recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.4% in 1971.
- How does South Asia rank for persistence to last grade of primary, male?
- South Asia ranks 31st out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is persistence to last grade of primary, male rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Persistence to last grade of primary, male (% of cohort). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Persistence to last grade of primary is the percentage of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach the last grade of primary education. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.