Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eritrea
Eritrea: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 59.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eritrea, 1992–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eritrea stood at 59.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eritrea peaked at 77.5% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 40.1%, in 1992.
That places Eritrea 201st out of 209 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eritrea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 40.1% | — |
| 1994 | 45.6% | +13.7% |
| 1995 | 46.9% | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 48.5% | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 47.9% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 55.7% | +16.3% |
| 2000 | 63.4% | +13.9% |
| 2001 | 65.7% | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 71.9% | +9.4% |
| 2003 | 77.4% | +7.6% |
| 2004 | 77.5% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 77.3% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 74.1% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 67.2% | -9.4% |
| 2008 | 62.4% | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 59.5% | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 57.7% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 62.7% | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 66.6% | +6.2% |
| 2013 | 66.6% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 66.9% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 65.7% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 60.6% | -7.7% |
| 2018 | 60.6% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 59.6% | -1.7% |
Eritrea compared with similar countries
- Eritrea's 59.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 69.5%, 86% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Eritrea's 59.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 71% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47.4% | 40.1% | 55.7% | 6 |
| 2000s | 69.6% | 59.5% | 77.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.4% | 57.7% | 66.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 59.6% | 59.6% | 59.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
More education data for Eritrea
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 9,725 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 23,881 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 28,835 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 26,792 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 266,829 (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 398,090 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.7908 % change on previous year (2018)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2011)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1168 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eritrea?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eritrea was 59.6% in 2022, 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 Eritrea?
- The highest recorded value was 77.5% in 2004.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Eritrea?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.1% in 1992.
- How does Eritrea rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Eritrea ranks 201st out of 209 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Eritrea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eritrea 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.