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

Syria: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 78.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
78.2%
Change on year
up 6.2%
World rank
182nd
of 209 countries
All-time high
99.1%
in 2011
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
78
1820–2024

Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Syria, 1820–2024

020406080100182019222024

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

Analysis

Syria recorded 78.2% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2024.

The figure is up 6.2% on the previous year and up 21.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Syria peaked at 99.1% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.

Syria ranks 182nd of 209 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1820s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1830s 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% 2
1840s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 2
1850s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 2
1860s 0.4% 0.3% 0.4% 2
1870s 0.7% 0.6% 0.8% 2
1880s 1.4% 1.1% 1.6% 2
1890s 2.6% 2.2% 3.0% 2
1900s 4.9% 4.1% 5.6% 2
1910s 8.9% 7.6% 10.3% 2
1920s 15.9% 13.7% 18.1% 2
1930s 24.2% 23.5% 24.9% 2
1940s 31.6% 28.3% 34.8% 2
1950s 57.5% 55.0% 60.0% 2
1960s 61.4% 55.8% 67.0% 2
1970s 79.7% 70.0% 83.7% 9
1980s 89.3% 83.5% 95.9% 10
1990s 95.0% 92.7% 96.6% 10
2000s 97.2% 93.6% 98.8% 10
2010s 90.3% 64.1% 99.1% 4
2020s 70.5% 65.4% 78.2% 5

Countries ranked near Syria

  1. 179 Guyana 82.0% compare
  2. 180 Kuwait 80.6% compare
  3. 181 Comoros 79.4% compare
  4. 183 Ethiopia 77.5% compare
  5. 184 Lebanon 77.5% compare
  6. 185 Micronesia (country) 76.9% compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More education data for Syria

All data for Syria →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Syria?
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Syria was 78.2% 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 Syria?
The highest recorded value was 99.1% in 2011.
What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Syria?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
How does Syria rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
Syria ranks 182nd out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Syria?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Syria 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 — 78 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.