Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Somalia
Somalia: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 14.7% in 1980. ▼ Falling
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Somalia, 1976–1980
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Somalia recorded 14.7% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 1980. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and down 15.8% over five years.
Somalia ranks 209th of 209 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Somalia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 17.5% | — |
| 1977 | 16.7% | -4.5% |
| 1978 | 15.1% | -9.9% |
| 1979 | 15.2% | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 14.7% | -3.4% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 14.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 69.5%, 21% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 14.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 17% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.1% | 15.1% | 17.5% | 4 |
| 1980s | 14.7% | 14.7% | 14.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
- 206 Democratic Republic of Congo 34.7% compare
- 207 Equatorial Guinea 34.4%
- 208 Afghanistan 31.2% compare
More education data for Somalia
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 115,828 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 882 (1986)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 4,504 (2007)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 676 (1986)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 46.6% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 50.8% (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Somalia?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Somalia was 14.7% in 1980, 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 Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.5% in 1976.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.7% in 1980.
- How does Somalia rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Somalia ranks 209th out of 209 countries with data for 1980.
- Where does this Somalia 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.