Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Uruguay
Uruguay: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 100.0% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Uruguay, 1820–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Uruguay recorded 100.0% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Uruguay peaked at 100.0% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 1820.
That places Uruguay 4th out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
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 Uruguay, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 2.2% | — |
| 1825 | 2.7% | +24.9% |
| 1830 | 3.4% | +24.4% |
| 1835 | 4.2% | +24.6% |
| 1840 | 5.2% | +24.0% |
| 1845 | 6.5% | +23.8% |
| 1850 | 8.0% | +23.4% |
| 1855 | 9.8% | +23.1% |
| 1860 | 12.0% | +22.3% |
| 1865 | 14.6% | +21.9% |
| 1870 | 17.7% | +21.0% |
| 1875 | 21.2% | +20.1% |
| 1880 | 26.7% | +25.9% |
| 1885 | 26.2% | -1.8% |
| 1890 | 27.9% | +6.4% |
| 1895 | 30.9% | +10.5% |
| 1900 | 27.9% | -9.6% |
| 1905 | 36.7% | +31.4% |
| 1910 | 49.4% | +34.8% |
| 1915 | 52.8% | +6.8% |
| 1920 | 52.8% | -0.0% |
| 1925 | 56.9% | +7.9% |
| 1930 | 58.0% | +1.9% |
| 1935 | 60.3% | +4.0% |
| 1940 | 67.2% | +11.4% |
| 1945 | 66.4% | -1.2% |
| 1950 | 83.1% | +25.3% |
| 1955 | 85.1% | +2.3% |
| 1960 | 83.8% | -1.5% |
| 1965 | 80.0% | -4.5% |
| 1970 | 92.7% | +15.8% |
| 1975 | 88.5% | -4.5% |
| 1980 | 87.7% | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 86.7% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 86.7% | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 88.1% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 89.1% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 89.2% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 93.8% | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 95.5% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 96.0% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 94.5% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 94.4% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 94.2% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 94.6% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 99.7% | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 97.6% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 95.1% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 96.6% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 97.2% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 98.1% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 98.8% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 98.6% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 99.6% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 95.4% | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 99.4% | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 100.0% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 99.7% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 99.5% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 99.5% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.6% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 99.6% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 100.0% | +0.3% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 100.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 100.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 95.1%, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Uruguay 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | +34.8% | 36.7% | 49.4% |
| 1905 | +31.4% | 27.9% | 36.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.7% | 2 |
| 1830s | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.2% | 2 |
| 1840s | 5.8% | 5.2% | 6.5% | 2 |
| 1850s | 8.9% | 8.0% | 9.8% | 2 |
| 1860s | 13.3% | 12.0% | 14.6% | 2 |
| 1870s | 19.5% | 17.7% | 21.2% | 2 |
| 1880s | 26.5% | 26.2% | 26.7% | 2 |
| 1890s | 29.4% | 27.9% | 30.9% | 2 |
| 1900s | 32.3% | 27.9% | 36.7% | 2 |
| 1910s | 51.1% | 49.4% | 52.8% | 2 |
| 1920s | 54.8% | 52.8% | 56.9% | 2 |
| 1930s | 59.1% | 58.0% | 60.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 66.8% | 66.4% | 67.2% | 2 |
| 1950s | 84.1% | 83.1% | 85.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 81.9% | 80.0% | 83.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 90.6% | 88.5% | 92.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 87.9% | 86.7% | 89.2% | 6 |
| 1990s | 94.7% | 93.8% | 96.0% | 7 |
| 2000s | 97.2% | 95.1% | 99.7% | 5 |
| 2010s | 98.9% | 95.4% | 100.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.7% | 99.6% | 100.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
- 1 United Arab Emirates 100.0% compare
- 2 Myanmar 100.0% compare
- 3 Azerbaijan 100.0% compare
- 5 South Korea 99.9% compare
- 6 Japan 99.9% compare
- 7 United Kingdom 99.9% compare
More education data for Uruguay
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25,390 (2010)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2,520 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 57,513 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 54,922 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 337,808 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 287,527 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.35 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0849 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Uruguay?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Uruguay was 100.0% 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 Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 1820.
- How does Uruguay rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Uruguay ranks 4th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Uruguay 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.