Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Gambia
Gambia: Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary was 100.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Gambia, 1971–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Gambia stood at 100.4%. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Gambia peaked at 100.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 21.1%, in 1972.
That places Gambia 112th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 21.4% | — |
| 1972 | 21.1% | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 22.8% | +7.8% |
| 1974 | 23.6% | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 24.7% | +4.7% |
| 1976 | 26.2% | +6.2% |
| 1977 | 27.3% | +3.9% |
| 1978 | 29.5% | +8.2% |
| 1979 | 33.3% | +12.9% |
| 1980 | 37.3% | +12.0% |
| 1981 | 45.0% | +20.8% |
| 1982 | 48.7% | +8.0% |
| 1983 | 51.4% | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 54.5% | +6.0% |
| 1985 | 56.3% | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 56.7% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 55.5% | -2.1% |
| 1988 | 53.5% | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 50.2% | -6.3% |
| 1990 | 50.6% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 51.0% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 51.0% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 52.2% | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 54.2% | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 55.8% | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 58.9% | +5.6% |
| 1997 | 60.7% | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 62.0% | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 71.8% | +15.9% |
| 2000 | 71.0% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 71.4% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 69.3% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 72.4% | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 73.6% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 72.2% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 71.5% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 74.0% | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 73.6% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 73.4% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 73.5% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 72.2% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 75.5% | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 77.5% | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 80.7% | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 83.7% | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 85.5% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 88.7% | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 91.5% | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 95.1% | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 96.9% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 96.3% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 97.3% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 98.7% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 98.6% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 100.4% | +1.8% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 100.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 96.8%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 100.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 25.5% | 21.1% | 33.3% | 9 |
| 1980s | 50.9% | 37.3% | 56.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 56.8% | 50.6% | 71.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.2% | 69.3% | 74.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.4% | 72.2% | 95.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.0% | 96.3% | 100.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More education data for Gambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,452 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 16,389 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 71,238 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77,061 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 369,783 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 442,901 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1569 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Gambia?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Gambia was 100.4% in 2025, 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 Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 100.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.1% in 1972.
- How does Gambia rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Gambia ranks 112th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia 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.