Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Congo
Congo: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 82.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Congo, 1972–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Congo recorded 82.9% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2023.
The figure is down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Congo peaked at 90.3% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 50.3%, in 2005.
Congo ranks 176th of 209 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 85.1% | 77.2% | 90.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 85.3% | 83.4% | 88.4% | 5 |
| 2000s | 52.2% | 50.3% | 54.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 84.4% | 78.8% | 88.4% | 3 |
| 2020s | 82.9% | 82.9% | 82.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More education data for Congo
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 57.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 39.9% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 87.9% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 23,019 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.11 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 86.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Congo?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Congo was 82.9% in 2023, 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 90.3% in 1979.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.3% in 2005.
- How does Congo rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Congo ranks 176th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this 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
The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.