Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Thailand
Thailand: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 99.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Thailand, 1820–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Thailand recorded 99.2% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Thailand peaked at 100.0% in 1940 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
Thailand ranks 41st of 209 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 Thailand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.0% | — |
| 1840 | 0.0% | — |
| 1845 | 0.0% | — |
| 1850 | 0.0% | — |
| 1855 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1860 | 0.1% | +125.0% |
| 1865 | 0.2% | +88.9% |
| 1870 | 0.3% | +82.4% |
| 1875 | 0.5% | +71.0% |
| 1880 | 0.9% | +67.9% |
| 1885 | 1.4% | +62.9% |
| 1890 | 2.3% | +60.0% |
| 1895 | 3.6% | +56.9% |
| 1900 | 5.6% | +54.7% |
| 1905 | 8.6% | +51.9% |
| 1910 | 12.7% | +48.7% |
| 1915 | 14.3% | +12.7% |
| 1920 | 15.9% | +11.3% |
| 1925 | 48.8% | +205.6% |
| 1930 | 55.4% | +13.6% |
| 1935 | 66.1% | +19.4% |
| 1940 | 100.0% | +51.2% |
| 1945 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 90.0% | -10.0% |
| 1965 | 71.0% | -21.1% |
| 1970 | 75.5% | +6.4% |
| 1973 | 74.4% | -1.6% |
| 1974 | 75.2% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 75.5% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 90.1% | +19.3% |
| 2006 | 95.6% | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 95.1% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 93.8% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 92.7% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 96.7% | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 99.7% | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 99.5% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 99.6% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 99.5% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 99.7% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 98.4% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 99.4% | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 99.2% | -0.3% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 99.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.0%, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 99.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Thailand 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | +205.6% | 15.9% | 48.8% |
| 1860 | +125.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1855 | +100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1865 | +88.9% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1870 | +82.4% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1880s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 2 |
| 1890s | 3.0% | 2.3% | 3.6% | 2 |
| 1900s | 7.1% | 5.6% | 8.6% | 2 |
| 1910s | 13.5% | 12.7% | 14.3% | 2 |
| 1920s | 32.4% | 15.9% | 48.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 60.7% | 55.4% | 66.1% | 2 |
| 1940s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 80.5% | 71.0% | 90.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 75.2% | 74.4% | 75.5% | 4 |
| 1980s | 90.1% | 90.1% | 90.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 94.3% | 92.7% | 95.6% | 4 |
| 2010s | 98.6% | 96.7% | 99.7% | 3 |
| 2020s | 99.3% | 98.4% | 99.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More education data for Thailand
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 243,991 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 13,596 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 758,147 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 716,498 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.26 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.45 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0621 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Thailand?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Thailand was 99.2% in 2025, 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 Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1940.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Thailand rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Thailand ranks 41st out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Thailand 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.