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
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.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Libya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1840 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1845 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1850 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1855 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1860 | 0.1% | +66.7% |
| 1865 | 0.1% | +20.0% |
| 1870 | 0.1% | +50.0% |
| 1875 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1880 | 0.2% | +41.7% |
| 1885 | 0.2% | +41.2% |
| 1890 | 0.3% | +37.5% |
| 1895 | 0.5% | +39.4% |
| 1900 | 0.6% | +39.1% |
| 1905 | 0.9% | +39.1% |
| 1910 | 1.2% | +38.2% |
| 1915 | 1.7% | +38.2% |
| 1920 | 2.4% | +38.2% |
| 1925 | 3.2% | +37.9% |
| 1930 | 4.5% | +37.7% |
| 1935 | 6.1% | +36.8% |
| 1940 | 8.3% | +35.9% |
| 1945 | 11.2% | +34.9% |
| 1950 | 14.9% | +33.5% |
| 1955 | 28.8% | +92.7% |
| 1960 | 45.2% | +57.1% |
| 1965 | 57.9% | +28.1% |
| 1970 | 90.2% | +55.8% |
| 1971 | 65.5% | -27.3% |
| 1972 | 72.9% | +11.3% |
| 1973 | 78.7% | +8.0% |
| 1974 | 85.8% | +9.0% |
| 1975 | 88.7% | +3.3% |
| 1976 | 93.8% | +5.8% |
| 1977 | 94.1% | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 92.6% | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 96.9% | +4.6% |
| 1981 | 93.3% | -3.7% |
| 1983 | 95.5% | +2.3% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 95.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.0%, 99% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Libya's 95.5% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 95.4%, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More education data for Libya
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 30,673 (1983)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 69,173 (1983)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 11,554 (2006)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 10,692 (2006)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 732,614 (2006)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 755,338 (2006)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.8 % change on previous year (2006)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2006)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1263 units per person (2006)
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
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.