Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Nepal
Nepal: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 99.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
99.2%
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
38th
of 209 countries
All-time high
99.8%
in 2021
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
52
1820–2025
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Nepal, 1820–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children in primary school age who are in school in Nepal is 99.2%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Nepal peaked at 99.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
Nepal ranks 38th of 209 countries on this measure, in the top 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 Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.0% | — |
| 1840 | 0.0% | — |
| 1845 | 0.0% | — |
| 1850 | 0.0% | — |
| 1855 | 0.0% | — |
| 1860 | 0.0% | — |
| 1865 | 0.0% | — |
| 1870 | 0.0% | — |
| 1875 | 0.0% | — |
| 1880 | 0.0% | — |
| 1885 | 0.0% | — |
| 1890 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1900 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1905 | 0.1% | +66.7% |
| 1910 | 0.1% | +60.0% |
| 1915 | 0.1% | +50.0% |
| 1920 | 0.2% | +58.3% |
| 1925 | 0.3% | +52.6% |
| 1930 | 0.4% | +51.7% |
| 1935 | 0.7% | +50.0% |
| 1940 | 1.0% | +50.0% |
| 1945 | 1.5% | +49.5% |
| 1950 | 3.5% | +139.2% |
| 1955 | 4.7% | +33.3% |
| 1960 | 7.1% | +50.2% |
| 1965 | 14.2% | +100.0% |
| 1970 | 18.4% | +30.0% |
| 1975 | 36.1% | +96.1% |
| 1980 | 58.8% | +62.8% |
| 1983 | 57.2% | -2.8% |
| 1984 | 58.6% | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 64.9% | +10.7% |
| 1999 | 63.5% | -2.2% |
| 2000 | 69.1% | +8.7% |
| 2003 | 76.5% | +10.8% |
| 2004 | 78.5% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 98.3% | +25.3% |
| 2012 | 98.7% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 99.0% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 99.1% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 99.6% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 98.7% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 99.4% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 99.8% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 99.4% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 98.0% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 98.0% | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 99.2% | +1.3% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 99.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 99.2% is above the median for South Asia, which is 96.6%, 1.0× the median. (6 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 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 1940s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 1950s | 4.1% | 3.5% | 4.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 10.6% | 7.1% | 14.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 27.3% | 18.4% | 36.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 59.9% | 57.2% | 64.9% | 4 |
| 1990s | 63.5% | 63.5% | 63.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 74.7% | 69.1% | 78.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 98.9% | 98.3% | 99.6% | 6 |
| 2020s | 98.9% | 98.0% | 99.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More education data for Nepal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 124,257 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 263,796 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 752,326 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1204 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Nepal?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Nepal was 99.2% in 2025, 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Nepal rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Nepal ranks 38th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal 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.