Share of children in primary school age who are in school in El Salvador
El Salvador: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 84.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
84.7%
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
170th
of 209 countries
All-time high
94.9%
in 2003
All-time low
1.5%
in 1820
Years of data
49
1820–2024
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in El Salvador, 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 El Salvador stood at 84.7%.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in El Salvador peaked at 94.9% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 1820.
El Salvador ranks 170th of 209 countries on this measure, 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 El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 1.5% | — |
| 1825 | 1.9% | +24.0% |
| 1830 | 2.3% | +24.2% |
| 1835 | 2.9% | +23.8% |
| 1840 | 3.5% | +24.1% |
| 1845 | 4.4% | +23.4% |
| 1850 | 5.4% | +23.5% |
| 1855 | 6.7% | +23.1% |
| 1860 | 8.2% | +22.7% |
| 1865 | 10.0% | +22.4% |
| 1870 | 12.2% | +21.7% |
| 1875 | 14.7% | +21.1% |
| 1880 | 17.7% | +20.4% |
| 1885 | 21.2% | +19.6% |
| 1890 | 21.3% | +0.4% |
| 1895 | 21.6% | +1.6% |
| 1900 | 20.5% | -5.2% |
| 1905 | 19.7% | -3.8% |
| 1910 | 21.8% | +10.3% |
| 1915 | 22.7% | +4.2% |
| 1920 | 25.0% | +10.4% |
| 1925 | 19.6% | -21.7% |
| 1930 | 17.6% | -10.2% |
| 1935 | 24.9% | +41.5% |
| 1940 | 31.5% | +26.3% |
| 1945 | 32.2% | +2.4% |
| 1950 | 42.5% | +31.9% |
| 1955 | 50.5% | +18.8% |
| 1960 | 59.5% | +17.8% |
| 1965 | 61.0% | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 65.1% | +6.7% |
| 1975 | 67.4% | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 66.5% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 79.1% | +18.9% |
| 2000 | 88.7% | +12.1% |
| 2001 | 90.6% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 93.5% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 94.9% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 93.6% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 92.7% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 91.8% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 87.7% | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 88.4% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 85.8% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 85.2% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 84.3% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 84.4% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 85.7% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 84.7% | -1.1% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 84.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.0%, 88% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 84.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 95.1%, 89% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 2 |
| 1830s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.9% | 2 |
| 1840s | 4.0% | 3.5% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 1850s | 6.0% | 5.4% | 6.7% | 2 |
| 1860s | 9.1% | 8.2% | 10.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 13.5% | 12.2% | 14.7% | 2 |
| 1880s | 19.5% | 17.7% | 21.2% | 2 |
| 1890s | 21.5% | 21.3% | 21.6% | 2 |
| 1900s | 20.1% | 19.7% | 20.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 22.2% | 21.8% | 22.7% | 2 |
| 1920s | 22.3% | 19.6% | 25.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 21.3% | 17.6% | 24.9% | 2 |
| 1940s | 31.9% | 31.5% | 32.2% | 2 |
| 1950s | 46.5% | 42.5% | 50.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 60.3% | 59.5% | 61.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 66.2% | 65.1% | 67.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 66.5% | 66.5% | 66.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 79.1% | 79.1% | 79.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 91.9% | 88.7% | 94.9% | 4 |
| 2010s | 90.0% | 85.8% | 93.6% | 6 |
| 2020s | 84.9% | 84.3% | 85.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More education data for El Salvador
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,715 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 21,853 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 100,826 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 100,758 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 417,193 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 594,860 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0939 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in El Salvador?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in El Salvador was 84.7% 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 El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 94.9% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 1820.
- How does El Salvador rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- El Salvador ranks 170th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this El Salvador 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.