Primary education, duration in South Asia
South Asia: Primary education, duration was 5 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Primary education, duration in South Asia, 1970–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
South Asia recorded 5 years for primary education, duration in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, duration in South Asia peaked at 5 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 5 years, in 1970.
South Asia ranks 40th of 46 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 6 |
More education data for South Asia
- Population ages 15-64 68.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.6% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 119.0% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 5.84 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 119.2% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 118.8% (2024)
- Labor force, female 29.1% (2025)
- Labor force, total 709.68 million (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.991 GPI (2020)
- School enrollment, secondary 76.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, duration in South Asia?
- Primary education, duration in South Asia was 5 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, duration recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 5 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest primary education, duration recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5 years in 1970.
- How does South Asia rank for primary education, duration?
- South Asia ranks 40th out of 46 groups with data for 2025.
- Is primary education, duration rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Asia 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
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary duration refers to the number of grades (years) in primary school.