Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in El Salvador
El Salvador: Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary was 90.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in El Salvador, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in El Salvador is 90.1%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in El Salvador peaked at 121.7% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 72.7%, in 1997.
That places El Salvador 185th out of 217 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 83.3% | — |
| 1971 | 84.1% | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 82.2% | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 86.4% | +5.1% |
| 1974 | 87.8% | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 89.7% | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 92.0% | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 94.1% | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 97.5% | +3.7% |
| 1979 | 101.2% | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 93.5% | -7.5% |
| 1981 | 78.6% | -16.0% |
| 1982 | 89.8% | +14.2% |
| 1983 | 93.3% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 95.5% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 103.9% | +8.9% |
| 1988 | 104.0% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 99.3% | -4.5% |
| 1991 | 92.8% | -6.6% |
| 1992 | 93.7% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 93.1% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 95.1% | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 102.8% | +8.1% |
| 1997 | 72.7% | -29.3% |
| 1998 | 105.4% | +44.9% |
| 1999 | 106.6% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 107.4% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 109.3% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 111.4% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 114.6% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 117.9% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 117.9% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 116.8% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 121.7% | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 113.4% | -6.8% |
| 2009 | 111.7% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 111.7% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 110.6% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 109.4% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 108.4% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 106.8% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 104.5% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 102.3% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 98.7% | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 97.1% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 92.0% | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 90.8% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 89.3% | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 89.3% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 91.1% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 90.1% | -1.0% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 90.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 101.1%, 89% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 90.1% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 99.5%, 91% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in El Salvador 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +44.9% | 72.7% | 105.4% |
| 1997 | -29.3% | 102.8% | 72.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 89.8% | 82.2% | 101.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 94.7% | 78.6% | 104.0% | 8 |
| 1990s | 95.3% | 72.7% | 106.6% | 8 |
| 2000s | 114.2% | 107.4% | 121.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 104.1% | 92.0% | 111.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.1% | 89.3% | 91.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More education data for El Salvador
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,715 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 21,853 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 100,826 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 100,758 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 417,193 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 594,860 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0939 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in El Salvador?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in El Salvador was 90.1% 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 El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 121.7% in 2007.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 72.7% in 1997.
- How does El Salvador rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- El Salvador ranks 185th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this El Salvador 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.