Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Peru
Peru: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 99.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Peru, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Peru stood at 99.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Peru peaked at 100.0% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Peru 16th out of 209 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
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 Peru, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.1% | +150.0% |
| 1835 | 0.1% | +80.0% |
| 1840 | 0.2% | +77.8% |
| 1845 | 0.3% | +68.8% |
| 1850 | 0.4% | +63.0% |
| 1855 | 0.7% | +56.8% |
| 1860 | 1.1% | +52.2% |
| 1865 | 1.6% | +50.5% |
| 1870 | 2.3% | +48.1% |
| 1875 | 3.4% | +46.2% |
| 1880 | 4.9% | +44.4% |
| 1885 | 7.0% | +42.5% |
| 1890 | 9.9% | +40.5% |
| 1895 | 15.4% | +56.0% |
| 1900 | 15.7% | +1.6% |
| 1905 | 24.6% | +56.7% |
| 1910 | 21.8% | -11.2% |
| 1915 | 23.2% | +6.5% |
| 1920 | 25.7% | +10.6% |
| 1925 | 28.6% | +11.1% |
| 1930 | 38.2% | +33.7% |
| 1935 | 47.8% | +25.2% |
| 1940 | 55.6% | +16.2% |
| 1945 | 64.4% | +15.8% |
| 1950 | 68.8% | +7.0% |
| 1955 | 66.2% | -3.8% |
| 1960 | 54.5% | -17.8% |
| 1965 | 65.0% | +19.3% |
| 1970 | 77.8% | +19.8% |
| 1973 | 82.6% | +6.2% |
| 1975 | 83.3% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 85.0% | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 89.6% | +5.4% |
| 1982 | 90.2% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 94.8% | +5.1% |
| 1988 | 90.7% | -4.3% |
| 1993 | 89.9% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 84.9% | -5.6% |
| 1996 | 84.6% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 84.1% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 97.0% | +15.3% |
| 1999 | 98.0% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 98.5% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 99.0% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 99.6% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 98.1% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 99.7% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 99.5% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 99.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 99.2% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 99.4% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 99.2% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 99.9% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 99.8% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.7% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 99.9% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 99.7% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 99.7% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 99.8% | +0.1% |
Peru compared with similar countries
- Peru's 99.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.0%, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Peru's 99.8% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 95.1%, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Peru 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | +150.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1835 | +80.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 1840 | +77.8% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1845 | +68.8% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 1850 | +63.0% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| 1855 | +56.8% | 0.4% | 0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 1860s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 2 |
| 1870s | 2.9% | 2.3% | 3.4% | 2 |
| 1880s | 6.0% | 4.9% | 7.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 12.7% | 9.9% | 15.4% | 2 |
| 1900s | 20.1% | 15.7% | 24.6% | 2 |
| 1910s | 22.5% | 21.8% | 23.2% | 2 |
| 1920s | 27.1% | 25.7% | 28.6% | 2 |
| 1930s | 43.0% | 38.2% | 47.8% | 2 |
| 1940s | 60.0% | 55.6% | 64.4% | 2 |
| 1950s | 67.5% | 66.2% | 68.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 59.7% | 54.5% | 65.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 81.3% | 77.8% | 83.3% | 3 |
| 1980s | 90.1% | 85.0% | 94.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 89.7% | 84.1% | 98.0% | 6 |
| 2000s | 99.1% | 98.1% | 99.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 99.7% | 99.2% | 100.0% | 6 |
| 2020s | 99.8% | 99.7% | 99.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Peru
- 13 Lithuania 99.9% compare
- 14 Turks and Caicos Islands 99.9% compare
- 15 Switzerland 99.9% compare
- 17 France 99.8% compare
- 18 Singapore 99.8% compare
- 19 Montenegro 99.8% compare
More education data for Peru
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 97.79 (2003)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.82 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 224,754 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 84,765 (2019)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 770,032 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 745,341 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.11 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.71 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.84 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Peru?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Peru was 99.8% in 2024, 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 Peru?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Peru?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Peru rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Peru ranks 16th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Peru?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Peru 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.