Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Bhutan
Bhutan: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 114.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Bhutan, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bhutan recorded 114.9% for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in 2024. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.7% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Bhutan peaked at 114.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 19.7%, in 1971.
Bhutan ranks 24th of 217 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 19.8% | — |
| 1971 | 19.7% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 21.1% | +7.1% |
| 1974 | 24.2% | +14.5% |
| 1976 | 29.1% | +20.3% |
| 1977 | 31.6% | +8.6% |
| 1978 | 31.7% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 35.2% | +11.2% |
| 1980 | 44.8% | +27.1% |
| 1981 | 49.7% | +11.1% |
| 1982 | 52.0% | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 55.4% | +6.6% |
| 1984 | 57.1% | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 56.5% | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 51.9% | -8.2% |
| 1987 | 52.6% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 54.2% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 46.4% | -14.3% |
| 1992 | 45.3% | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 54.5% | +20.3% |
| 1994 | 57.2% | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 62.3% | +8.9% |
| 1996 | 68.3% | +9.6% |
| 1997 | 71.7% | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 73.8% | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 75.7% | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 77.9% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 79.7% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 81.9% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 84.9% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 88.8% | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 92.4% | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 97.1% | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 101.1% | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 104.5% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 109.0% | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 112.0% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 113.6% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 113.0% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 106.8% | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 104.7% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 103.1% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 101.3% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 99.7% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 99.3% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 98.0% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 103.8% | +6.0% |
| 2021 | 105.5% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 105.3% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 106.7% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 114.9% | +7.7% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 114.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 114.9% is above the median for South Asia, which is 108.8%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 26.6% | 19.7% | 35.2% | 8 |
| 1980s | 52.7% | 44.8% | 57.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 61.7% | 45.3% | 75.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 91.7% | 77.9% | 109.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 105.2% | 98.0% | 113.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 107.2% | 103.8% | 114.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More education data for Bhutan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,995 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,961 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,905 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,735 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 67,821 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,759 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1159 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Bhutan?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Bhutan was 114.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 114.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.7% in 1971.
- How does Bhutan rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Bhutan ranks 24th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.