Persistence to last grade of primary, total in OECD members
OECD members: Persistence to last grade of primary, total was 94.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Persistence to last grade of primary, total in OECD members, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of cohort.
Analysis
OECD members recorded 94.1% for persistence to last grade of primary, total in 2023.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persistence to last grade of primary, total in OECD members peaked at 95.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 82.7%, in 1973.
OECD members ranks 11th of 45 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Persistence to last grade of primary, total in OECD members, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 84.2% | — |
| 1971 | 83.7% | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 83.7% | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 82.7% | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 83.0% | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 84.0% | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 85.3% | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 84.9% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 86.1% | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 85.7% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 85.8% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 86.5% | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 88.0% | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 88.3% | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 88.3% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 89.4% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 89.2% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 88.5% | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 88.8% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 88.3% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 89.2% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 90.5% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 89.3% | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 90.1% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 89.8% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 91.0% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 90.5% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 90.5% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 91.2% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 91.4% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 91.1% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 91.9% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 92.6% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 92.9% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 93.5% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 93.7% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 93.9% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 93.4% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 93.7% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 94.3% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 94.2% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 93.8% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 93.0% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 94.1% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 94.1% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 94.3% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 95.6% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 95.2% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 95.8% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 95.8% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 95.2% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 94.0% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 94.0% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 94.1% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 84.3% | 82.7% | 86.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 88.1% | 85.8% | 89.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 90.3% | 89.2% | 91.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 93.1% | 91.1% | 94.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 94.6% | 93.0% | 95.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.3% | 94.0% | 95.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
More education data for OECD members
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 116.41 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91.38 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.2049 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0654 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 6.28 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 16.4% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is persistence to last grade of primary, total in OECD members?
- Persistence to last grade of primary, total in OECD members was 94.1% 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 2018.
- What is the lowest persistence to last grade of primary, total recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.7% in 1973.
- How does OECD members rank for persistence to last grade of primary, total?
- OECD members ranks 11th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is persistence to last grade of primary, total rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this OECD members 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
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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.