Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Congo
Congo: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 87.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Congo, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Congo stood at 87.9%.
That represents a change of down 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Congo peaked at 135.7% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 56.2%, in 1999.
Congo ranks 193rd of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 103.5% | — |
| 1972 | 108.8% | +5.1% |
| 1973 | 111.1% | +2.2% |
| 1974 | 113.3% | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 114.4% | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 114.8% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 115.1% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 116.9% | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 118.0% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 123.1% | +4.3% |
| 1981 | 122.9% | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 125.2% | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 127.2% | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 130.2% | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 131.0% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 132.6% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 135.7% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 130.8% | -3.6% |
| 1989 | 129.4% | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 126.4% | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 123.6% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 119.9% | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 121.4% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 116.7% | -3.9% |
| 1995 | 116.2% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 108.3% | -6.8% |
| 1997 | 106.2% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 89.0% | -16.2% |
| 1999 | 56.2% | -36.9% |
| 2000 | 83.2% | +48.0% |
| 2001 | 96.8% | +16.4% |
| 2002 | 99.1% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 94.0% | -5.1% |
| 2004 | 105.2% | +11.9% |
| 2005 | 105.2% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 106.4% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 105.0% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 103.2% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 107.3% | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 109.0% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 108.5% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 105.5% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 87.5% | -17.1% |
| 2023 | 87.9% | +0.5% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 87.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 86% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Congo's 87.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Congo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +48.0% | 56.2% | 83.2% |
| 1999 | -36.9% | 89.0% | 56.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 112.9% | 103.5% | 118.0% | 9 |
| 1980s | 128.8% | 122.9% | 135.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 108.4% | 56.2% | 126.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 100.6% | 83.2% | 107.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 102.6% | 87.5% | 109.0% | 4 |
| 2020s | 87.9% | 87.9% | 87.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More education data for Congo
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 38,064 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 70,276 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 12,245 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 13,478 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 339,250 (2012)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 880,625 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2012)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1424 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Congo?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Congo was 87.9% 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 135.7% in 1987.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.2% in 1999.
- How does Congo rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Congo ranks 193rd out of 217 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this 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.