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

Nicaragua: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 93.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
93.3%
World rank
135th
of 209 countries
All-time high
99.0%
in 2005
All-time low
1.0%
in 1820
Years of data
66
1820–2023

Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Nicaragua, 1820–2023

020406080100182019212023

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

Analysis

Nicaragua recorded 93.3% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2023.

The figure is down 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Nicaragua peaked at 99.0% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1820.

Nicaragua ranks 135th 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 1.1% 1.0% 1.2% 2
1830s 1.8% 1.6% 2.0% 2
1840s 2.8% 2.5% 3.1% 2
1850s 4.4% 3.9% 4.9% 2
1860s 6.9% 6.2% 7.7% 2
1870s 10.6% 9.5% 11.8% 2
1880s 16.0% 14.4% 17.6% 2
1890s 18.4% 18.1% 18.7% 2
1900s 18.5% 17.8% 19.2% 2
1910s 21.3% 16.4% 26.1% 2
1920s 23.3% 23.0% 23.5% 2
1930s 26.2% 25.1% 27.2% 2
1940s 32.1% 29.3% 34.9% 2
1950s 46.4% 40.6% 52.2% 2
1960s 63.6% 62.2% 65.0% 2
1970s 56.1% 54.3% 58.1% 9
1980s 64.5% 62.0% 66.3% 9
1990s 73.6% 67.4% 81.7% 8
2000s 94.6% 84.7% 99.0% 8
2010s 95.5% 95.5% 95.5% 1
2020s 93.3% 93.3% 93.3% 1

Countries ranked near Nicaragua

  1. 132 San Marino 93.9% compare
  2. 133 Georgia 93.8% compare
  3. 134 Nauru 93.4% compare
  4. 136 China 93.3% compare
  5. 137 Montserrat 93.3% compare
  6. 138 Seychelles 93.2% compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More education data for Nicaragua

All data for Nicaragua →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Nicaragua?
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Nicaragua was 93.3% 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 Nicaragua?
The highest recorded value was 99.0% in 2005.
What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Nicaragua?
The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1820.
How does Nicaragua rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
Nicaragua ranks 135th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Nicaragua?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nicaragua 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 — 66 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.