Primary education, duration in Somalia
Somalia: Primary education, duration was 4 years in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
4 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
186th
of 210 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 1970
All-time low
4 years
in 2023
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Primary education, duration in Somalia, 1970–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary education, duration in Somalia is 4 years, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, duration in Somalia peaked at 6 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 4 years, in 2023.
Somalia ranks 186th of 210 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Primary education, duration in Somalia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6 years | — |
| 1971 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 years | -33.3% |
| 2024 | 4 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4 years | +0.0% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 4 years is below the median for low income countries, which is 6 years, 67% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 4 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6 years, 67% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 years | 4 years | 6 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
- 186 Armenia 4 years compare
- 186 Austria 4 years compare
- 186 Azerbaijan 4 years compare
- 186 Belarus 4 years compare
- 186 Bulgaria 4 years compare
- 186 Croatia 4 years compare
- 186 Germany 4 years compare
- 186 Hungary 4 years compare
- 186 Kazakhstan 4 years compare
- 186 Kyrgyzstan 4 years compare
- 186 Lithuania 4 years compare
- 186 Moldova 4 years compare
- 186 Oman 4 years compare
- 186 Poland 4 years compare
- 186 Russia 4 years compare
- 186 Serbia 4 years compare
- 186 Slovakia 4 years compare
- 186 Tajikistan 4 years compare
- 186 Turkey 4 years compare
- 186 Turkmenistan 4 years compare
- 186 Ukraine 4 years compare
- 186 United Arab Emirates 4 years compare
- 186 Uzbekistan 4 years compare
- 186 Palestine 4 years compare
More education data for Somalia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4,504 (2007)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 676 (1986)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 882 (1986)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 115,828 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 464,607 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -7.59 % change on previous year (1986)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0253 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, duration in Somalia?
- Primary education, duration in Somalia was 4 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, duration recorded in Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest primary education, duration recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 years in 2023.
- How does Somalia rank for primary education, duration?
- Somalia ranks 186th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary education, duration rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Somalia data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Primary duration refers to the number of grades (years) in primary school.