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

Uganda: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 95.9% in 2013. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2013)
95.9%
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
111th
of 209 countries
All-time high
95.9%
in 2013
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
41
1820–2013

Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Uganda, 1820–2013

0204060801001820191620131820: 0 %1825: 0 %1830: 0 %1835: 0 %1840: 0 %1845: 0 %1850: 0 %1855: 0 %1860: 0 %1865: 0 %1870: 0 %1875: 0 %1880: 0 %1885: 0 %1890: 0 %1895: 0 %1900: 0 %1905: 0 %1910: 0 %1915: 0 %1920: 0 %1925: 2.8 %1930: 2.8 %1935: 3.5 %1940: 7.3 %1945: 16.8 %1950: 25.9 %1955: 34.9 %1960: 39 %1965: 53.3 %1970: 30.2 %1975: 35 %1979: 34.7 %1980: 39 %1981: 38.1 %1982: 40 %1986: 55.6 %2009: 94.6 %2010: 91.1 %2011: 94.4 %2013: 95.9 %

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 Uganda is 95.9%, measured in 2013. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 1.3% over five years.

Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Uganda peaked at 95.9% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.

That places Uganda 111th out of 209 countries with data for 2013, putting it 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1870s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1880s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1890s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1900s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1910s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1920s 1.4% 0.0% 2.8% 2
1930s 3.1% 2.8% 3.5% 2
1940s 12.1% 7.3% 16.8% 2
1950s 30.4% 25.9% 34.9% 2
1960s 46.2% 39.0% 53.3% 2
1970s 33.3% 30.2% 35.0% 3
1980s 43.2% 38.1% 55.6% 4
2000s 94.6% 94.6% 94.6% 1
2010s 93.8% 91.1% 95.9% 3

Countries ranked near Uganda

  1. 108 United States 96.0% compare
  2. 109 Papua New Guinea 96.0% compare
  3. 110 French Polynesia 95.9% compare
  4. 112 Tajikistan 95.8% compare
  5. 113 Jamaica 95.7% compare
  6. 114 Costa Rica 95.5% compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More education data for Uganda

All data for Uganda →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Uganda?
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Uganda was 95.9% in 2013, 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 Uganda?
The highest recorded value was 95.9% in 2013.
What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Uganda?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
How does Uganda rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
Uganda ranks 111th out of 209 countries with data for 2013.
Where does this Uganda 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 — 41 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.