Primary education, pupils in Nepal
Nepal: Primary education, pupils was 50.6% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Primary education, pupils in Nepal, 1970–2019
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % female.
Analysis
In 2019, primary education, pupils in Nepal stood at 50.6%.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Nepal peaked at 50.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 14.0%, in 1973.
Nepal ranks 9th of 203 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Primary education, pupils in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % female | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 14.9% | — |
| 1972 | 17.1% | +14.5% |
| 1973 | 14.0% | -17.9% |
| 1974 | 14.7% | +5.3% |
| 1975 | 15.5% | +5.1% |
| 1976 | 20.1% | +29.7% |
| 1977 | 22.1% | +9.9% |
| 1978 | 23.8% | +7.8% |
| 1979 | 26.7% | +12.5% |
| 1980 | 28.0% | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 26.9% | -4.0% |
| 1982 | 27.6% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 28.0% | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 29.2% | +4.3% |
| 1985 | 29.9% | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 30.1% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 30.5% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 31.8% | +4.2% |
| 1989 | 34.6% | +8.8% |
| 1990 | 36.0% | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 37.2% | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 38.3% | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 38.7% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 39.4% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 39.9% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 40.6% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 41.9% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 42.6% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 44.1% | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 44.8% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 45.4% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 45.4% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 46.3% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 47.4% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 48.3% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 48.9% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 49.5% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 50.1% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 50.4% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 50.4% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 50.5% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 50.7% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 50.8% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 50.8% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 50.4% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 50.6% | +0.3% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 50.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 48.6%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 50.6% is above the median for South Asia, which is 49.9%, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary education, pupils in Nepal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +29.7% | 15.5% | 20.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.8% | 14.0% | 26.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 29.7% | 26.9% | 34.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.0% | 36.0% | 41.9% | 8 |
| 2000s | 46.3% | 42.6% | 49.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.5% | 50.1% | 50.8% | 9 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 6 Kiribati 50.8% compare
- 7 Bangladesh 50.7% compare
- 8 Mauritania 50.7% compare
- 10 San Marino 50.5% compare
- 11 Uganda 50.3% compare
- 12 Zambia 50.2% compare
More education data for Nepal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 124,257 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 263,796 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 752,326 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1204 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Nepal?
- Primary education, pupils in Nepal was 50.6% in 2019, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 50.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.0% in 1973.
- How does Nepal rank for primary education, pupils?
- Nepal ranks 9th out of 203 countries with data for 2019.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils (% female). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Female pupils as a percentage of total pupils at primary level include enrollments in public and private schools.