Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both was 334,173 number in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
334,173 number
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
70th
of 206 countries
All-time high
387,965 number
in 1988
All-time low
324,395 number
in 2003
Years of data
51
1970–2020

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Sri Lanka, 1970–2020

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k197019952020

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2020, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Sri Lanka stood at 334,173 number.

The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Sri Lanka peaked at 387,965 number in 1988 and was at its lowest, 324,395 number, in 2003.

Sri Lanka ranks 70th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number) in Sri Lanka, 1970 to 2020.
Year number Change
1970 336,314 number
1971 339,553 number +1.0%
1972 344,280 number +1.4%
1973 349,455 number +1.5%
1974 353,870 number +1.3%
1975 356,034 number +0.6%
1976 357,202 number +0.3%
1977 355,997 number -0.3%
1978 353,703 number -0.6%
1979 351,714 number -0.6%
1980 351,782 number +0.0%
1981 354,961 number +0.9%
1982 361,015 number +1.7%
1983 368,495 number +2.1%
1984 375,958 number +2.0%
1985 381,330 number +1.4%
1986 384,943 number +0.9%
1987 387,207 number +0.6%
1988 387,965 number +0.2%
1989 387,011 number -0.2%
1990 384,395 number -0.7%
1991 380,105 number -1.1%
1992 372,471 number -2.0%
1993 363,039 number -2.5%
1994 353,425 number -2.6%
1995 345,783 number -2.2%
1996 340,351 number -1.6%
1997 336,697 number -1.1%
1998 333,614 number -0.9%
1999 331,395 number -0.7%
2000 327,052 number -1.3%
2001 325,563 number -0.5%
2002 324,623 number -0.3%
2003 324,395 number -0.1%
2004 325,221 number +0.3%
2005 327,543 number +0.7%
2006 333,108 number +1.7%
2007 339,832 number +2.0%
2008 346,622 number +2.0%
2009 352,018 number +1.6%
2010 354,290 number +0.6%
2011 355,393 number +0.3%
2012 355,201 number -0.1%
2013 353,961 number -0.3%
2014 352,128 number -0.5%
2015 350,337 number -0.5%
2016 348,032 number -0.7%
2017 344,894 number -0.9%
2018 341,232 number -1.1%
2019 337,486 number -1.1%
2020 334,173 number -1.0%

Sri Lanka compared with similar countries

  • Sri Lanka's 334,173 number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 116,888 number, 2.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Sri Lanka's 334,173 number is below the median for South Asia, which is 440,325 number, 76% of the median. (6 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 349,812 number 336,314 number 357,202 number 10
1980s 374,067 number 351,782 number 387,965 number 10
1990s 354,128 number 331,395 number 384,395 number 10
2000s 332,598 number 324,395 number 352,018 number 10
2010s 349,295 number 337,486 number 355,393 number 10
2020s 334,173 number 334,173 number 334,173 number 1

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 67 Syrian Arab Republic 346,339 number compare
  2. 68 Benin 339,466 number compare
  3. 69 Rwanda 334,503 number compare
  4. 71 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 330,430 number compare
  5. 72 Australia 329,315 number compare
  6. 73 Ecuador 322,295 number compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Sri Lanka?
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Sri Lanka was 334,173 number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 387,965 number in 1988.
What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 324,395 number in 2003.
How does Sri Lanka rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both?
Sri Lanka ranks 70th out of 206 countries with data for 2020.
Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-the-official-entrance-age-to-primary-education-both-sexes-number/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 12,277 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to the official entrance age to primary education. The official entrance age is the age at which students would enter a given programme or level of education assuming they start at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, study full-time throughout and progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade. The theoretical entrance age to a given programme or level is typically, but not always, the most common entrance age.