Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 34.7% in 1999. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1820–1999
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 34.7% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 1999.
The figure is down 44.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 74.6% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 206th out of 209 countries with data for 1999, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 Democratic Republic of Congo, 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% | — |
| 1885 | 0.0% | — |
| 1890 | 0.0% | — |
| 1895 | 0.1% | — |
| 1900 | 0.3% | +188.9% |
| 1905 | 0.5% | +107.7% |
| 1910 | 1.0% | +87.0% |
| 1915 | 1.8% | +75.2% |
| 1920 | 3.0% | +67.2% |
| 1925 | 4.8% | +61.5% |
| 1930 | 7.5% | +56.7% |
| 1935 | 9.1% | +20.8% |
| 1940 | 10.6% | +17.2% |
| 1945 | 25.9% | +144.2% |
| 1950 | 41.2% | +59.0% |
| 1955 | 46.3% | +12.4% |
| 1960 | 43.0% | -7.2% |
| 1965 | 50.1% | +16.7% |
| 1970 | 63.0% | +25.7% |
| 1971 | 69.5% | +10.2% |
| 1972 | 67.5% | -2.8% |
| 1975 | 69.3% | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 71.8% | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 66.9% | -6.7% |
| 1983 | 74.0% | +10.5% |
| 1984 | 74.6% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 62.3% | -16.4% |
| 1991 | 58.6% | -6.0% |
| 1992 | 57.1% | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 56.3% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 57.6% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 64.9% | +12.7% |
| 1999 | 34.7% | -46.6% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 34.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 69.5%, 50% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 34.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 41% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Democratic Republic of Congo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | +188.9% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
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 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 2 |
| 1920s | 3.9% | 3.0% | 4.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 8.3% | 7.5% | 9.1% | 2 |
| 1940s | 18.3% | 10.6% | 25.9% | 2 |
| 1950s | 43.8% | 41.2% | 46.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 46.5% | 43.0% | 50.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 68.2% | 63.0% | 71.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 69.5% | 62.3% | 74.6% | 4 |
| 1990s | 54.9% | 34.7% | 64.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 203 Cape Verde 58.2% compare
- 204 Sudan 56.2% compare
- 205 Tokelau 36.3%
- 207 Equatorial Guinea 34.4% compare
- 208 Afghanistan 31.2% compare
- 209 Somalia 14.7% compare
More education data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 621,578 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1.99 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,532 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 427,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.93 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 21.15 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 7.35 % change on previous year (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1999 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Democratic Republic of Congo was 34.7% in 1999, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 74.6% in 1984.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 206th out of 209 countries with data for 1999.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.