Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kuwait
Kuwait: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 82.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kuwait, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Kuwait recorded 82.4% for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kuwait peaked at 112.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 73.1%, in 1992.
That places Kuwait 200th out of 217 countries with data for 2021, 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 education enrollment and completion rates in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 78.9% | — |
| 1972 | 80.2% | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 82.2% | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 83.3% | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 86.0% | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 89.8% | +4.5% |
| 1977 | 95.7% | +6.5% |
| 1978 | 98.6% | +3.1% |
| 1979 | 96.7% | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 96.6% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 94.6% | -2.1% |
| 1982 | 95.2% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 95.3% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 95.2% | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 94.3% | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 92.4% | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 88.8% | -3.9% |
| 1988 | 86.7% | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 84.4% | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 82.6% | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 112.6% | +36.3% |
| 1992 | 73.1% | -35.1% |
| 1993 | 76.6% | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 85.3% | +11.3% |
| 1995 | 83.9% | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 87.5% | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 88.2% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 88.8% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 89.2% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 91.8% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 94.4% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 100.2% | +6.2% |
| 2003 | 103.9% | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 106.4% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 110.0% | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 107.9% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 109.5% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 105.9% | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 104.8% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 103.5% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 104.0% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 101.2% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 100.8% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 100.8% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 101.8% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 95.1% | -6.6% |
| 2017 | 91.1% | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 88.4% | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 83.1% | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 81.4% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 82.4% | +1.2% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 82.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.8%, 83% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 82.4% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 97.6%, 84% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kuwait 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +36.3% | 82.6% | 112.6% |
| 1992 | -35.1% | 112.6% | 73.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 87.9% | 78.9% | 98.6% | 9 |
| 1980s | 92.3% | 84.4% | 96.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 86.8% | 73.1% | 112.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 103.5% | 91.8% | 110.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 97.0% | 83.1% | 104.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.9% | 81.4% | 82.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
More education data for Kuwait
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 47,443 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 11 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 30,349 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 29,489 (2021)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 302,047 (2015)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 265,113 (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -4.44 % change on previous year (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0608 units per person (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kuwait?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Kuwait was 82.4% in 2021, 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 Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 112.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.1% in 1992.
- How does Kuwait rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Kuwait ranks 200th out of 217 countries with data for 2021.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kuwait 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.