Share of the population with at least some formal education in Yemen
Yemen: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 62.0% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Yemen, 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 Yemen stood at 62.0%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 39.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Yemen peaked at 62.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1870.
That places Yemen 105th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 Yemen, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.0% | — |
| 1875 | 0.0% | — |
| 1880 | 0.0% | — |
| 1885 | 0.0% | — |
| 1890 | 0.1% | — |
| 1895 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 1920 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.3% | +50.0% |
| 1935 | 0.2% | -33.3% |
| 1940 | 0.3% | +50.0% |
| 1945 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.4% | +33.3% |
| 1955 | 0.6% | +50.0% |
| 1960 | 0.8% | +33.3% |
| 1965 | 1.1% | +37.5% |
| 1970 | 1.3% | +18.2% |
| 1975 | 1.8% | +38.5% |
| 1980 | 4.4% | +144.4% |
| 1985 | 9.3% | +111.4% |
| 1990 | 16.6% | +78.5% |
| 1995 | 23.0% | +38.6% |
| 2000 | 30.6% | +33.0% |
| 2005 | 36.6% | +19.6% |
| 2010 | 44.4% | +21.3% |
| 2015 | 53.8% | +21.2% |
| 2020 | 62.0% | +15.2% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 62.0% is below the median for low income countries, which is 64.0%, 97% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 62.0% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 88.2%, 70% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 6.9% | 4.4% | 9.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 19.8% | 16.6% | 23.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 33.6% | 30.6% | 36.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 49.1% | 44.4% | 53.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 62.0% | 62.0% | 62.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More education data for Yemen
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 229,234 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19,507 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 16,813 (2016)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.92 million (2016)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.90 million (2016)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.15 % change on previous year (2013)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2016)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1215 units per person (2016)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Yemen?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Yemen was 62.0% 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 Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 62.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1870.
- How does Yemen rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Yemen ranks 105th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Yemen 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
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About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.