Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Central African Republic

Central African Republic: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 62.1% in 2012. ▲ Rising

Latest (2012)
62.1%
Change on year
up 4.3%
World rank
199th
of 209 countries
All-time high
63.2%
in 1986
All-time low
41.3%
in 1971
Years of data
22
1971–2012

Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Central African Republic, 1971–2012

02040601971199120121971: 41.3 %1972: 43.5 %1973: 45.4 %1977: 42.2 %1978: 42.7 %1981: 50.2 %1982: 53.6 %1983: 57.1 %1986: 63.2 %1987: 52.9 %1988: 50.5 %1989: 50.3 %1990: 58.4 %1991: 53.1 %2005: 42.5 %2006: 42.7 %2007: 49.9 %2008: 58.2 %2009: 58.5 %2010: 61.9 %2011: 59.5 %2012: 62.1 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2012, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Central African Republic stood at 62.1%.

The figure is up 4.3% on the previous year and up 46.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Central African Republic peaked at 63.2% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 41.3%, in 1971.

Central African Republic ranks 199th of 209 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 43.0% 41.3% 45.4% 5
1980s 54.0% 50.2% 63.2% 7
1990s 55.7% 53.1% 58.4% 2
2000s 50.4% 42.5% 58.5% 5
2010s 61.2% 59.5% 62.1% 3

Countries ranked near Central African Republic

  1. 196 Mali 66.0% compare
  2. 197 Burkina Faso 65.7% compare
  3. 198 Angola 63.2% compare
  4. 200 Liberia 61.7% compare
  5. 201 Eritrea 59.6% compare
  6. 202 Niger 59.6% compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More education data for Central African Republic

All data for Central African Republic →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Central African Republic?
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Central African Republic was 62.1% in 2012, 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 Central African Republic?
The highest recorded value was 63.2% in 1986.
What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Central African Republic?
The lowest recorded value was 41.3% in 1971.
How does Central African Republic rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
Central African Republic ranks 199th out of 209 countries with data for 2012.
Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Central African Republic?
Over the last ten years it is up 46.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Central African Republic 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

Indicator
Share of children in primary school age who are in school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
209 places, 8,478 data points, 1820–2025
Last refreshed

The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.