Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 90.9% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sri Lanka, 1820–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sri Lanka stood at 90.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sri Lanka peaked at 99.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 1820.
Sri Lanka ranks 151st 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 3.4% | 3.0% | 3.8% | 2 |
| 1830s | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.8% | 2 |
| 1840s | 4.3% | 4.2% | 4.5% | 2 |
| 1850s | 4.5% | 4.0% | 4.9% | 2 |
| 1860s | 6.2% | 5.8% | 6.6% | 2 |
| 1870s | 9.7% | 7.4% | 11.9% | 2 |
| 1880s | 18.6% | 16.4% | 20.7% | 2 |
| 1890s | 26.4% | 25.0% | 27.8% | 2 |
| 1900s | 33.6% | 30.5% | 36.7% | 2 |
| 1910s | 43.4% | 42.8% | 44.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 45.9% | 45.2% | 46.6% | 2 |
| 1930s | 52.7% | 48.1% | 57.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 55.0% | 48.0% | 62.1% | 2 |
| 1950s | 73.7% | 72.5% | 75.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 66.7% | 66.0% | 67.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 83.4% | 74.8% | 96.1% | 3 |
| 1980s | 96.6% | 95.2% | 98.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 93.2% | 91.0% | 96.8% | 9 |
| 2010s | 96.3% | 92.5% | 99.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.1% | 90.9% | 99.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 21.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 91.5% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 73,333 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.95 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 92.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sri Lanka?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sri Lanka was 90.9% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 2018.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 1820.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Sri Lanka ranks 151st out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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
The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.