Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Libya

Libya: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 95.5% in 1983. ◆ Volatile

Latest (1983)
95.5%
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
116th
of 209 countries
All-time high
96.9%
in 1980
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
42
1820–1983

Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Libya, 1820–1983

0204060801001820190119831820: 0 %1825: 0 %1830: 0.01 %1835: 0.01 %1840: 0.01 %1845: 0.02 %1850: 0.02 %1855: 0.03 %1860: 0.05 %1865: 0.06 %1870: 0.09 %1875: 0.12 %1880: 0.17 %1885: 0.24 %1890: 0.33 %1895: 0.46 %1900: 0.64 %1905: 0.89 %1910: 1.2 %1915: 1.7 %1920: 2.4 %1925: 3.2 %1930: 4.5 %1935: 6.1 %1940: 8.3 %1945: 11.2 %1950: 14.9 %1955: 28.8 %1960: 45.2 %1965: 57.9 %1970: 90.2 %1971: 65.5 %1972: 72.9 %1973: 78.7 %1974: 85.8 %1975: 88.7 %1976: 93.8 %1977: 94.1 %1978: 92.6 %1980: 96.9 %1981: 93.3 %1983: 95.5 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 1983, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Libya stood at 95.5%.

That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and up 21.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Libya peaked at 96.9% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.

Libya ranks 116th of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 2
1870s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 2
1880s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 2
1890s 0.4% 0.3% 0.5% 2
1900s 0.8% 0.6% 0.9% 2
1910s 1.5% 1.2% 1.7% 2
1920s 2.8% 2.4% 3.2% 2
1930s 5.3% 4.5% 6.1% 2
1940s 9.7% 8.3% 11.2% 2
1950s 21.8% 14.9% 28.8% 2
1960s 51.5% 45.2% 57.9% 2
1970s 84.7% 65.5% 94.1% 9
1980s 95.2% 93.3% 96.9% 3

Countries ranked near Libya

  1. 113 Jamaica 95.7% compare
  2. 114 Costa Rica 95.5% compare
  3. 115 Belarus 95.5% compare
  4. 117 Qatar 95.4% compare
  5. 118 Cuba 95.3% compare
  6. 119 Ecuador 95.3% compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More education data for Libya

All data for Libya →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Libya?
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Libya was 95.5% in 1983, 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 Libya?
The highest recorded value was 96.9% in 1980.
What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Libya?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
How does Libya rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
Libya ranks 116th out of 209 countries with data for 1983.
Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Libya?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Libya 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of children in primary school age who are in school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
209 places, 8,478 data points, 1820–2025
Last refreshed

The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.