Share of the population with at least some formal education in Algeria
Algeria: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 89.6% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
89.6%
World rank
83rd
of 111 countries
All-time high
89.6%
in 2020
All-time low
2.5%
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Algeria, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with at least some formal education in Algeria stood at 89.6%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Algeria peaked at 89.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 1870.
That places Algeria 83rd out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Algeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 2.5% | — |
| 1875 | 3.2% | +28.0% |
| 1880 | 4.0% | +25.0% |
| 1885 | 4.9% | +22.5% |
| 1890 | 5.7% | +16.3% |
| 1895 | 6.7% | +17.5% |
| 1900 | 10.1% | +50.7% |
| 1905 | 13.3% | +31.7% |
| 1910 | 15.6% | +17.3% |
| 1915 | 14.9% | -4.5% |
| 1920 | 16.4% | +10.1% |
| 1925 | 17.9% | +9.1% |
| 1930 | 18.1% | +1.1% |
| 1935 | 18.9% | +4.4% |
| 1940 | 19.1% | +1.1% |
| 1945 | 19.1% | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 18.9% | -1.0% |
| 1955 | 18.5% | -2.1% |
| 1960 | 17.5% | -5.4% |
| 1965 | 19.9% | +13.7% |
| 1970 | 28.0% | +40.7% |
| 1975 | 37.9% | +35.4% |
| 1980 | 47.1% | +24.3% |
| 1985 | 57.4% | +21.9% |
| 1990 | 64.6% | +12.5% |
| 1995 | 70.8% | +9.6% |
| 2000 | 75.9% | +7.2% |
| 2005 | 79.8% | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 82.8% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 86.5% | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 89.6% | +3.6% |
Algeria compared with similar countries
- Algeria's 89.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 97.4%, 92% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Algeria's 89.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 88.2%, 1.0× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 2.9% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 2 |
| 1880s | 4.5% | 4.0% | 4.9% | 2 |
| 1890s | 6.2% | 5.7% | 6.7% | 2 |
| 1900s | 11.7% | 10.1% | 13.3% | 2 |
| 1910s | 15.2% | 14.9% | 15.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 17.1% | 16.4% | 17.9% | 2 |
| 1930s | 18.5% | 18.1% | 18.9% | 2 |
| 1940s | 19.1% | 19.1% | 19.1% | 2 |
| 1950s | 18.7% | 18.5% | 18.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 18.7% | 17.5% | 19.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 33.0% | 28.0% | 37.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 52.2% | 47.1% | 57.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 67.7% | 64.6% | 70.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 77.8% | 75.9% | 79.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 84.7% | 82.8% | 86.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 89.6% | 89.6% | 89.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Algeria
More education data for Algeria
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 390,587 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 158,235 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 306,324 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 297,789 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.30 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1116 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Algeria?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Algeria was 89.6% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Algeria?
- The highest recorded value was 89.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Algeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 1870.
- How does Algeria rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Algeria ranks 83rd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Algeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Algeria data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.