Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Cambodia
Cambodia: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 96.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Cambodia, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Cambodia stood at 96.3%.
That represents a change of up 4.4% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Cambodia peaked at 98.6% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Cambodia 102nd out of 209 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Cambodia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.0% | — |
| 1840 | 0.0% | — |
| 1845 | 0.0% | — |
| 1850 | 0.0% | — |
| 1855 | 0.0% | — |
| 1860 | 0.0% | — |
| 1865 | 0.0% | — |
| 1870 | 0.0% | — |
| 1875 | 0.0% | — |
| 1880 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1885 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1890 | 0.1% | +100.0% |
| 1895 | 0.1% | +50.0% |
| 1900 | 0.1% | +66.7% |
| 1905 | 0.2% | +66.7% |
| 1910 | 0.4% | +60.0% |
| 1915 | 0.6% | +55.0% |
| 1920 | 1.0% | +56.5% |
| 1925 | 1.5% | +53.6% |
| 1930 | 2.3% | +52.3% |
| 1935 | 7.9% | +247.1% |
| 1940 | 9.4% | +19.3% |
| 1945 | 13.1% | +38.8% |
| 1950 | 21.2% | +62.4% |
| 1955 | 51.9% | +144.7% |
| 1960 | 54.2% | +4.5% |
| 1965 | 56.5% | +4.3% |
| 1970 | 58.9% | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 61.2% | +4.0% |
| 1980 | 63.5% | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 85.5% | +34.5% |
| 1998 | 83.0% | -2.9% |
| 1999 | 84.4% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 89.6% | +6.2% |
| 2003 | 95.9% | +7.0% |
| 2006 | 94.8% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 95.8% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 95.1% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 93.3% | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 98.6% | +5.8% |
| 2012 | 97.4% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 91.3% | -6.3% |
| 2015 | 91.7% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 89.9% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 88.6% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 89.1% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 90.7% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 90.6% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 89.0% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 84.3% | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 92.2% | +9.4% |
| 2024 | 96.3% | +4.4% |
Cambodia compared with similar countries
- Cambodia's 96.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Cambodia's 96.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 97.4%, 99% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Cambodia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | +247.1% | 2.3% | 7.9% |
| 1955 | +144.7% | 21.2% | 51.9% |
| 1880 | +100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1890 | +100.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1900 | +66.7% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 1905 | +66.7% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
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 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 1930s | 5.1% | 2.3% | 7.9% | 2 |
| 1940s | 11.2% | 9.4% | 13.1% | 2 |
| 1950s | 36.5% | 21.2% | 51.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 55.4% | 54.2% | 56.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 60.0% | 58.9% | 61.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 63.5% | 63.5% | 63.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 84.3% | 83.0% | 85.5% | 3 |
| 2000s | 94.2% | 89.6% | 95.9% | 5 |
| 2010s | 92.3% | 88.6% | 98.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 90.5% | 84.3% | 96.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cambodia
More education data for Cambodia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 107,312 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 124,310 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 199,569 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 201,390 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.17 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.07 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1285 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Cambodia?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Cambodia was 96.3% 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 Cambodia?
- The highest recorded value was 98.6% in 2011.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Cambodia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Cambodia rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Cambodia ranks 102nd out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Cambodia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cambodia 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
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.