Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Benin
Benin: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 90.4% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
90.4%
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
155th
of 209 countries
All-time high
97.0%
in 2016
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
63
1820–2022
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Benin, 1820–2022
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 Benin is 90.4%, measured in 2022.
The figure is up 2.9% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Benin peaked at 97.0% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
Benin ranks 155th 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 Benin, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1830 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1835 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1840 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1845 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1850 | 0.0% | +33.3% |
| 1855 | 0.1% | +50.0% |
| 1860 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1865 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1870 | 0.1% | +30.0% |
| 1875 | 0.2% | +38.5% |
| 1880 | 0.2% | +27.8% |
| 1885 | 0.3% | +34.8% |
| 1890 | 0.4% | +32.3% |
| 1895 | 0.6% | +34.1% |
| 1900 | 0.7% | +30.9% |
| 1905 | 1.0% | +33.3% |
| 1910 | 1.3% | +32.3% |
| 1915 | 1.7% | +32.3% |
| 1920 | 2.2% | +31.5% |
| 1925 | 2.9% | +31.7% |
| 1930 | 3.8% | +31.6% |
| 1935 | 5.0% | +31.1% |
| 1940 | 5.0% | -1.2% |
| 1945 | 8.9% | +79.0% |
| 1950 | 12.8% | +44.1% |
| 1955 | 16.7% | +30.7% |
| 1960 | 20.6% | +23.4% |
| 1965 | 26.0% | +25.9% |
| 1970 | 28.2% | +8.7% |
| 1975 | 39.2% | +38.9% |
| 1980 | 50.2% | +28.0% |
| 1984 | 46.6% | -7.2% |
| 1985 | 47.4% | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 45.5% | -4.0% |
| 1988 | 44.9% | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 45.2% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 36.3% | -19.6% |
| 1992 | 45.0% | +23.8% |
| 1993 | 48.8% | +8.5% |
| 1994 | 50.0% | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 52.4% | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 54.5% | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 57.9% | +6.2% |
| 2003 | 79.0% | +36.5% |
| 2004 | 82.0% | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 78.3% | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 80.8% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 84.8% | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 90.5% | +6.8% |
| 2010 | 92.1% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 93.1% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 95.9% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 96.2% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 96.5% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 97.0% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 92.9% | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 90.0% | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 85.6% | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 85.0% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 87.9% | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 90.4% | +2.9% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 90.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 96% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Benin's 90.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 1920s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 2.9% | 2 |
| 1930s | 4.4% | 3.8% | 5.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 6.9% | 5.0% | 8.9% | 2 |
| 1950s | 14.8% | 12.8% | 16.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 23.3% | 20.6% | 26.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 33.7% | 28.2% | 39.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 46.6% | 44.9% | 50.2% | 6 |
| 1990s | 49.3% | 36.3% | 57.9% | 7 |
| 2000s | 82.6% | 78.3% | 90.5% | 6 |
| 2010s | 93.2% | 85.6% | 97.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 87.8% | 85.0% | 90.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More education data for Benin
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 57,296 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 209,295 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 85,495 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 84,746 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 929,099 (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.40 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.18 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1743 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Benin?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Benin was 90.4% in 2022, 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 97.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Benin rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Benin ranks 155th out of 209 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Benin 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.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.