Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 3.81 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
3.81 million
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
61st
of 197 countries
All-time high
3.97 million
in 2019
All-time low
3.08 million
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Sri Lanka, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Sri Lanka is 3.81 million, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and up 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.97 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 3.08 million, in 1998.
That places Sri Lanka 61st out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 3.08 million | — |
| 1999 | 3.10 million | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 3.11 million | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 3.12 million | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 3.12 million | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 3.10 million | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 3.09 million | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 3.08 million | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 3.08 million | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 3.09 million | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 3.10 million | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 3.12 million | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 3.13 million | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 3.14 million | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 3.17 million | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 3.19 million | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 3.22 million | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 3.24 million | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 3.94 million | +21.5% |
| 2017 | 3.95 million | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 3.96 million | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 3.97 million | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 3.96 million | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 3.94 million | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 3.91 million | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 3.88 million | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 3.85 million | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 3.81 million | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.09 million | 3.08 million | 3.10 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.10 million | 3.08 million | 3.12 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.49 million | 3.13 million | 3.97 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.89 million | 3.81 million | 3.96 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 58 North Korea 3.96 million compare
- 59 Zambia 3.94 million compare
- 60 South Korea 3.87 million compare
- 62 Australia 3.64 million compare
- 63 Kazakhstan 3.54 million compare
- 64 Poland 3.52 million compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 777,541 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Sri Lanka?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Sri Lanka was 3.81 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.97 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.08 million in 1998.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Sri Lanka ranks 61st out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release