Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Guyana
Guyana: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 82.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Guyana, 1820–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Guyana recorded 82.0% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2023.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and down 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Guyana peaked at 100.0% in 1945 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1820.
That places Guyana 179th out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Guyana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 1.6% | — |
| 1825 | 2.0% | +22.4% |
| 1830 | 2.4% | +22.3% |
| 1835 | 3.0% | +22.4% |
| 1840 | 3.6% | +21.7% |
| 1845 | 4.4% | +22.0% |
| 1850 | 5.3% | +21.5% |
| 1855 | 6.5% | +21.2% |
| 1860 | 13.8% | +114.6% |
| 1865 | 16.2% | +16.8% |
| 1870 | 43.2% | +167.3% |
| 1875 | 44.4% | +2.8% |
| 1880 | 53.2% | +19.7% |
| 1885 | 44.1% | -17.1% |
| 1890 | 64.1% | +45.4% |
| 1895 | 64.4% | +0.3% |
| 1900 | 62.4% | -3.1% |
| 1905 | 64.7% | +3.7% |
| 1910 | 81.2% | +25.6% |
| 1915 | 68.4% | -15.8% |
| 1920 | 78.8% | +15.2% |
| 1925 | 80.7% | +2.3% |
| 1930 | 93.2% | +15.5% |
| 1935 | 85.9% | -7.8% |
| 1940 | 91.2% | +6.1% |
| 1945 | 100.0% | +9.7% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 95.0% | -5.0% |
| 1965 | 98.5% | +3.7% |
| 1970 | 87.0% | -11.7% |
| 1971 | 88.0% | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 88.0% | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 89.0% | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 84.0% | -5.6% |
| 1976 | 87.3% | +4.0% |
| 1977 | 94.3% | +8.0% |
| 1979 | 92.7% | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 88.4% | -4.6% |
| 1982 | 91.1% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 92.3% | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 90.7% | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 89.5% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 91.1% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 88.4% | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 91.8% | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 99.4% | +8.3% |
| 2009 | 94.7% | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 99.5% | +5.0% |
| 2011 | 99.7% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 83.9% | -15.9% |
| 2020 | 81.0% | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 80.0% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 82.0% | +2.5% |
Guyana compared with similar countries
- Guyana's 82.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 98.2%, 84% of the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Guyana's 82.0% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 95.1%, 86% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Guyana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | +167.3% | 16.2% | 43.2% |
| 1860 | +114.6% | 6.5% | 13.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 2.7% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 4.0% | 3.6% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 1850s | 5.9% | 5.3% | 6.5% | 2 |
| 1860s | 15.0% | 13.8% | 16.2% | 2 |
| 1870s | 43.8% | 43.2% | 44.4% | 2 |
| 1880s | 48.7% | 44.1% | 53.2% | 2 |
| 1890s | 64.2% | 64.1% | 64.4% | 2 |
| 1900s | 63.5% | 62.4% | 64.7% | 2 |
| 1910s | 74.8% | 68.4% | 81.2% | 2 |
| 1920s | 79.8% | 78.8% | 80.7% | 2 |
| 1930s | 89.6% | 85.9% | 93.2% | 2 |
| 1940s | 95.6% | 91.2% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 96.8% | 95.0% | 98.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 88.8% | 84.0% | 94.3% | 8 |
| 1980s | 89.7% | 88.4% | 91.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 90.4% | 88.4% | 92.3% | 5 |
| 2000s | 95.3% | 91.8% | 99.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 95.7% | 83.9% | 99.7% | 4 |
| 2020s | 81.0% | 80.0% | 82.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Guyana
More education data for Guyana
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 81.47 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 82.02 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,700 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 536 (2010)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 15,835 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 15,230 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 69,542 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 94,786 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.93 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Guyana?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Guyana was 82.0% 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 Guyana?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1945.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Guyana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1820.
- How does Guyana rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Guyana ranks 179th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Guyana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Guyana 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.