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

Tanzania: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 83.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
83.6%
Change on year
down 2.7%
World rank
174th
of 209 countries
All-time high
96.2%
in 2008
All-time low
48.6%
in 1994
Years of data
44
1976–2024

Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Tanzania, 1976–2024

0204060801001976200020241976: 50.1 %1980: 69.9 %1981: 68 %1982: 62.6 %1983: 60.9 %1984: 57.2 %1985: 54.1 %1986: 52.6 %1987: 51.1 %1988: 49.5 %1989: 49.6 %1990: 49.2 %1991: 48.9 %1992: 49.5 %1993: 49.3 %1994: 48.6 %1995: 48.7 %1996: 49.1 %1997: 49.9 %1998: 49.7 %1999: 50.3 %2000: 54.1 %2001: 58.9 %2002: 74.1 %2003: 82.6 %2004: 86.6 %2005: 90.7 %2006: 95.5 %2008: 96.2 %2010: 90.2 %2011: 89.5 %2012: 86.5 %2013: 83.8 %2014: 82.5 %2015: 80.5 %2016: 84.5 %2017: 84.9 %2018: 83.1 %2019: 85.7 %2020: 86.6 %2021: 87.3 %2022: 87 %2023: 85.9 %2024: 83.6 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of children in primary school age who are in school in Tanzania is 83.6%, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of down 2.7% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Tanzania peaked at 96.2% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 48.6%, in 1994.

That places Tanzania 174th out of 209 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 50.1% 50.1% 50.1% 1
1980s 57.5% 49.5% 69.9% 10
1990s 49.3% 48.6% 50.3% 10
2000s 79.8% 54.1% 96.2% 8
2010s 85.1% 80.5% 90.2% 10
2020s 86.1% 83.6% 87.3% 5

Countries ranked near Tanzania

  1. 171 Romania 84.4% compare
  2. 172 Bahamas 84.1% compare
  3. 173 Suriname 83.8% compare
  4. 175 Gambia 83.1% compare
  5. 176 Congo 82.9% compare
  6. 177 Barbados 82.4% compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More education data for Tanzania

All data for Tanzania →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Tanzania?
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Tanzania was 83.6% 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 Tanzania?
The highest recorded value was 96.2% in 2008.
What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Tanzania?
The lowest recorded value was 48.6% in 1994.
How does Tanzania rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
Tanzania ranks 174th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Tanzania?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Tanzania 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

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.