Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 117.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 117.6% for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and up 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 120.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 50.3%, in 1999.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 17th out of 217 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 94.6% | 93.0% | 96.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 91.6% | 79.7% | 97.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 68.4% | 50.3% | 77.2% | 8 |
| 2000s | 82.1% | 61.0% | 91.9% | 4 |
| 2010s | 100.2% | 92.1% | 111.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 117.9% | 115.9% | 120.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 14 Myanmar 120.2% compare
- 15 East Timor 119.7% compare
- 16 Mozambique 119.2% compare
- 18 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 116.9% compare
- 19 Morocco 116.6% compare
- 20 Eswatini 116.5% compare
More education data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 51.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 45.9% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 117.6% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 561,172 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 5.98 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 114.3% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Democratic Republic of Congo was 117.6% in 2023, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 120.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.3% in 1999.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 17th out of 217 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.