Share of the population with at least some formal education in Philippines
Philippines: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 98.2% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
98.2%
World rank
37th
of 111 countries
All-time high
98.2%
in 2020
All-time low
1.3%
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Philippines, 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 Philippines stood at 98.2%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Philippines peaked at 98.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 1870.
That places Philippines 37th 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 Philippines, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 1.3% | — |
| 1875 | 1.7% | +30.8% |
| 1880 | 2.3% | +35.3% |
| 1885 | 3.0% | +30.4% |
| 1890 | 4.0% | +33.3% |
| 1895 | 5.2% | +30.0% |
| 1900 | 6.7% | +28.8% |
| 1905 | 8.0% | +19.4% |
| 1910 | 8.4% | +5.0% |
| 1915 | 14.5% | +72.6% |
| 1920 | 22.3% | +53.8% |
| 1925 | 28.3% | +26.9% |
| 1930 | 34.5% | +21.9% |
| 1935 | 41.3% | +19.7% |
| 1940 | 43.7% | +5.8% |
| 1945 | 47.6% | +8.9% |
| 1950 | 56.3% | +18.3% |
| 1955 | 76.3% | +35.5% |
| 1960 | 74.5% | -2.4% |
| 1965 | 80.1% | +7.5% |
| 1970 | 86.6% | +8.1% |
| 1975 | 90.3% | +4.3% |
| 1980 | 91.8% | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 93.1% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 94.9% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 94.8% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 94.8% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 96.3% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 97.7% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 98.0% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 98.2% | +0.2% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 98.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 98.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 98.3%, 100% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 1880s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 3.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 4.6% | 4.0% | 5.2% | 2 |
| 1900s | 7.3% | 6.7% | 8.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 11.4% | 8.4% | 14.5% | 2 |
| 1920s | 25.3% | 22.3% | 28.3% | 2 |
| 1930s | 37.9% | 34.5% | 41.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 45.7% | 43.7% | 47.6% | 2 |
| 1950s | 66.3% | 56.3% | 76.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 77.3% | 74.5% | 80.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 88.4% | 86.6% | 90.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 92.4% | 91.8% | 93.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 94.8% | 94.8% | 94.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 95.5% | 94.8% | 96.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 97.8% | 97.7% | 98.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 98.2% | 98.2% | 98.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
- 34 Germany 98.4% compare
- 34 Peru 98.4% compare
- 36 New Zealand 98.3% compare
- 37 Bulgaria 98.2% compare
- 37 Costa Rica 98.2% compare
- 37 El Salvador 98.2% compare
- 37 Iceland 98.2% compare
More education data for Philippines
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 495,843 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 201,568 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.06 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 983,812 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.87 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.06 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.8345 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1128 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Philippines?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Philippines was 98.2% 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 Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 98.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 1870.
- How does Philippines rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Philippines ranks 37th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Philippines 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.