Persistence to last grade of primary, total in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Persistence to last grade of primary, total was 59.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Persistence to last grade of primary, total in Least developed countries, 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, total in Least developed countries is 59.5%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persistence to last grade of primary, total in Least developed countries peaked at 60.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 38.8%, in 1971.
That places Least developed countries 43rd out of 45 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Persistence to last grade of primary, total in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 39.0% | — |
| 1971 | 38.8% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 39.1% | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 40.6% | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 42.4% | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 42.3% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 42.6% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 44.5% | +4.5% |
| 1978 | 43.4% | -2.5% |
| 1979 | 43.4% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 42.9% | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 42.7% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 44.6% | +4.4% |
| 1983 | 45.3% | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 46.2% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 48.5% | +4.9% |
| 1986 | 49.6% | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 50.0% | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 50.2% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 50.5% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 51.5% | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 51.3% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 53.1% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 52.7% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 52.4% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 53.5% | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 53.0% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 53.1% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 52.7% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 55.0% | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 56.9% | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 59.1% | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 59.0% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 57.5% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 58.3% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 58.0% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 58.7% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 57.9% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 56.4% | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 54.6% | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 54.0% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 55.2% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 53.7% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 53.1% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 53.6% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 55.2% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 55.6% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 57.6% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 57.8% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 58.8% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 60.3% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 60.2% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 59.9% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 59.5% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 41.6% | 38.8% | 44.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 47.0% | 42.7% | 50.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.8% | 51.3% | 55.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.6% | 54.6% | 59.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.5% | 53.1% | 58.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.0% | 59.5% | 60.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
More education data for Least developed countries
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 4.43 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 75.92 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 171.01 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1441 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 57.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 38.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is persistence to last grade of primary, total in Least developed countries?
- Persistence to last grade of primary, total in Least developed countries was 59.5% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest persistence to last grade of primary, total recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 60.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest persistence to last grade of primary, total recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.8% in 1971.
- How does Least developed countries rank for persistence to last grade of primary, total?
- Least developed countries ranks 43rd out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is persistence to last grade of primary, total rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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, total (% 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.