Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Iran
Iran: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 102.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Iran, 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 Iran stood at 102.0%.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and down 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Iran peaked at 111.4% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 69.0%, in 1971.
That places Iran 91st out of 217 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Iran, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 69.0% | — |
| 1972 | 76.0% | +10.1% |
| 1973 | 79.1% | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 81.3% | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 89.1% | +9.5% |
| 1976 | 93.6% | +5.1% |
| 1977 | 97.1% | +3.7% |
| 1978 | 99.8% | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 85.9% | -14.0% |
| 1980 | 94.7% | +10.3% |
| 1981 | 90.6% | -4.4% |
| 1982 | 96.9% | +7.0% |
| 1983 | 98.8% | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 100.9% | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 100.8% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 101.0% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 100.7% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 101.6% | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 101.7% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 102.7% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 104.3% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 105.2% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 104.1% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 102.7% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 101.4% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 100.7% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 98.3% | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 98.5% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 97.4% | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 97.8% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 100.7% | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 103.4% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 106.8% | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 108.3% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 105.2% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 102.9% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 99.7% | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 99.2% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 99.3% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 98.4% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 99.0% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 99.1% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 111.4% | +12.4% |
| 2014 | 103.5% | -7.1% |
| 2015 | 104.1% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 105.8% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 105.4% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 105.5% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 104.7% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 101.0% | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 102.0% | +1.0% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 102.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 101.1%, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iran's 102.0% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 97.6%, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 85.7% | 69.0% | 99.8% | 9 |
| 1980s | 98.8% | 90.6% | 101.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 101.5% | 97.4% | 105.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 102.3% | 97.8% | 108.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 103.6% | 98.4% | 111.4% | 9 |
| 2020s | 102.5% | 101.0% | 104.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More education data for Iran
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Iran?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Iran was 102.0% 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 111.4% in 2013.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.0% in 1971.
- How does Iran rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Iran ranks 91st out of 217 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran 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.