Persistence to last grade of primary, total in World
World: Persistence to last grade of primary, total was 78.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Persistence to last grade of primary, total in World, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of cohort.
Analysis
In 2023, persistence to last grade of primary, total in World stood at 78.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persistence to last grade of primary, total in World peaked at 84.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 66.2%, in 1974.
That places World 24th 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, total in World, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 68.4% | — |
| 1971 | 67.5% | -1.3% |
| 1972 | 67.1% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 66.3% | -1.2% |
| 1974 | 66.2% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 67.3% | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 68.1% | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 69.4% | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 69.0% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 69.2% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 68.8% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 69.2% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 69.4% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 69.8% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 68.9% | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 70.8% | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 71.4% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 73.0% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 72.6% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 72.7% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 73.9% | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 74.2% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 74.8% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 75.5% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 75.7% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 76.3% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 76.2% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 76.5% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 76.5% | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 76.7% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 76.4% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 77.6% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 76.5% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 75.5% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 75.1% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 74.1% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 74.8% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 75.7% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 77.8% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 77.5% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 77.3% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 77.4% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 75.9% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 75.8% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 80.3% | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 81.2% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 80.4% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 82.4% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 81.7% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 84.1% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 84.4% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 84.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 75.1% | -11.3% |
| 2023 | 78.9% | +5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 67.8% | 66.2% | 69.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 70.7% | 68.8% | 73.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 75.6% | 73.9% | 76.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.1% | 74.1% | 77.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.6% | 75.8% | 84.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.7% | 75.1% | 84.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near World
- 21 Norway 99.3% compare
- 22 Azerbaijan 99.3% compare
- 23 Macau, China 99.3% compare
- 24 Portugal 99.3% compare
- 25 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 99.3% compare
- 26 Finland 99.3% compare
- 27 Russian Federation 99.1% compare
More education data for World
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 651.68 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 780.85 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.43 % 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)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 65.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is persistence to last grade of primary, total in World?
- Persistence to last grade of primary, total in World was 78.9% 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 84.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest persistence to last grade of primary, total recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.2% in 1974.
- How does World rank for persistence to last grade of primary, total?
- World ranks 24th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is persistence to last grade of primary, total rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.