Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 94.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
94.1%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
129th
of 209 countries
All-time high
96.7%
in 2017
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
56
1820–2024
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bangladesh, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bangladesh is 94.1%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bangladesh peaked at 96.7% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
Bangladesh ranks 129th of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1830 | 0.1% | +20.0% |
| 1835 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1840 | 0.1% | +37.5% |
| 1845 | 0.1% | +36.4% |
| 1850 | 0.2% | +33.3% |
| 1855 | 0.3% | +30.0% |
| 1860 | 0.3% | +34.6% |
| 1865 | 0.5% | +31.4% |
| 1870 | 0.6% | +32.6% |
| 1875 | 0.8% | +32.8% |
| 1880 | 1.1% | +32.1% |
| 1885 | 1.4% | +31.8% |
| 1890 | 1.9% | +31.9% |
| 1895 | 2.5% | +32.3% |
| 1900 | 3.2% | +31.3% |
| 1905 | 4.2% | +31.3% |
| 1910 | 5.5% | +30.9% |
| 1915 | 7.2% | +30.3% |
| 1920 | 9.4% | +29.6% |
| 1925 | 12.1% | +28.8% |
| 1930 | 15.4% | +27.6% |
| 1935 | 19.5% | +26.4% |
| 1940 | 24.3% | +24.8% |
| 1945 | 29.9% | +23.0% |
| 1950 | 33.5% | +12.3% |
| 1955 | 37.2% | +11.0% |
| 1960 | 40.9% | +9.9% |
| 1965 | 42.6% | +4.3% |
| 1970 | 48.9% | +14.7% |
| 1973 | 69.2% | +41.4% |
| 1975 | 61.0% | -11.8% |
| 1976 | 74.2% | +21.6% |
| 1977 | 68.8% | -7.2% |
| 1978 | 66.9% | -2.8% |
| 1980 | 53.8% | -19.6% |
| 1981 | 60.8% | +13.0% |
| 1983 | 58.0% | -4.6% |
| 1984 | 57.3% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 56.2% | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 55.8% | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 55.2% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 65.0% | +17.7% |
| 1989 | 64.9% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 67.4% | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 93.2% | +38.2% |
| 2006 | 92.5% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 86.9% | -6.0% |
| 2009 | 87.1% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 90.2% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 96.7% | +7.2% |
| 2018 | 96.6% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 92.7% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 93.1% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 94.1% | +1.1% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 94.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 94.1% is below the median for South Asia, which is 96.6%, 97% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 2 |
| 1880s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 2 |
| 1890s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.5% | 2 |
| 1900s | 3.7% | 3.2% | 4.2% | 2 |
| 1910s | 6.4% | 5.5% | 7.2% | 2 |
| 1920s | 10.7% | 9.4% | 12.1% | 2 |
| 1930s | 17.4% | 15.4% | 19.5% | 2 |
| 1940s | 27.1% | 24.3% | 29.9% | 2 |
| 1950s | 35.4% | 33.5% | 37.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 41.8% | 40.9% | 42.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 64.8% | 48.9% | 74.2% | 6 |
| 1980s | 58.6% | 53.8% | 65.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 67.4% | 67.4% | 67.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 89.9% | 86.9% | 93.2% | 4 |
| 2010s | 94.5% | 90.2% | 96.7% | 3 |
| 2020s | 93.3% | 92.7% | 94.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
- 126 Cayman Islands 94.8% compare
- 127 Kenya 94.3% compare
- 128 Oman 94.2% compare
- 130 Bulgaria 94.1% compare
- 131 South Africa 93.9% compare
- 132 San Marino 93.9% compare
More education data for Bangladesh
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 571,690 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 387,056 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.77 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16.69 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0961 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bangladesh?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Bangladesh was 94.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 96.7% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Bangladesh rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Bangladesh ranks 129th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.