Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Chile
Chile: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 97.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Chile, 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 Chile is 97.9%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Chile peaked at 100.0% in 1955 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 1820.
That places Chile 79th 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 Chile, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 2.7% | — |
| 1825 | 3.4% | +24.4% |
| 1830 | 4.2% | +23.8% |
| 1835 | 5.2% | +24.0% |
| 1840 | 6.4% | +23.4% |
| 1845 | 7.8% | +23.1% |
| 1850 | 9.6% | +22.7% |
| 1855 | 11.1% | +14.9% |
| 1860 | 14.1% | +27.2% |
| 1865 | 16.7% | +18.6% |
| 1870 | 16.9% | +1.3% |
| 1875 | 17.1% | +1.2% |
| 1880 | 17.3% | +1.3% |
| 1885 | 15.7% | -9.6% |
| 1890 | 27.2% | +73.9% |
| 1895 | 31.1% | +14.3% |
| 1900 | 34.1% | +9.7% |
| 1905 | 43.1% | +26.3% |
| 1910 | 62.4% | +44.6% |
| 1915 | 65.8% | +5.5% |
| 1920 | 62.0% | -5.8% |
| 1925 | 76.9% | +24.1% |
| 1930 | 80.2% | +4.3% |
| 1935 | 70.7% | -11.8% |
| 1940 | 75.8% | +7.1% |
| 1945 | 74.4% | -1.7% |
| 1950 | 96.0% | +28.9% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +4.2% |
| 1960 | 94.7% | -5.3% |
| 1965 | 100.0% | +5.6% |
| 1970 | 93.0% | -7.0% |
| 1975 | 96.0% | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 98.1% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 96.6% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 96.8% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 95.2% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 96.7% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 96.4% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 96.6% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 96.6% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 97.0% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 97.3% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 97.5% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 97.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 98.1% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 98.4% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 97.7% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 97.8% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 98.7% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 98.7% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 97.9% | -0.8% |
Chile compared with similar countries
- Chile's 97.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 98.2%, 100% of the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Chile's 97.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 95.1%, 1.0× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Chile 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | +73.9% | 15.7% | 27.2% |
| 1910 | +44.6% | 43.1% | 62.4% |
| 1950 | +28.9% | 74.4% | 96.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.4% | 2 |
| 1830s | 4.7% | 4.2% | 5.2% | 2 |
| 1840s | 7.1% | 6.4% | 7.8% | 2 |
| 1850s | 10.3% | 9.6% | 11.1% | 2 |
| 1860s | 15.4% | 14.1% | 16.7% | 2 |
| 1870s | 17.0% | 16.9% | 17.1% | 2 |
| 1880s | 16.5% | 15.7% | 17.3% | 2 |
| 1890s | 29.2% | 27.2% | 31.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 38.6% | 34.1% | 43.1% | 2 |
| 1910s | 64.1% | 62.4% | 65.8% | 2 |
| 1920s | 69.4% | 62.0% | 76.9% | 2 |
| 1930s | 75.5% | 70.7% | 80.2% | 2 |
| 1940s | 75.1% | 74.4% | 75.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 98.0% | 96.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 97.4% | 94.7% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 94.5% | 93.0% | 96.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 98.1% | 98.1% | 98.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 96.2% | 95.2% | 96.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 97.2% | 96.4% | 98.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.2% | 97.7% | 98.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Chile
More education data for Chile
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 96,048 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 21,633 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 280,113 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 264,101 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.63 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.49 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0754 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Chile?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Chile was 97.9% 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 Chile?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1955.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Chile?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 1820.
- How does Chile rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Chile ranks 79th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Chile?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Chile 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.