Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Liberia
Liberia: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 66.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Liberia, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Liberia stood at 66.6%.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 33.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Liberia peaked at 108.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 35.6%, in 1970.
That places Liberia 213th out of 217 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Liberia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 35.6% | — |
| 1971 | 36.5% | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 37.5% | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 39.5% | +5.3% |
| 1976 | 37.0% | -6.4% |
| 1978 | 45.4% | +22.9% |
| 1979 | 45.9% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 48.7% | +6.2% |
| 1984 | 40.2% | -17.6% |
| 1998 | 71.4% | +77.8% |
| 1999 | 90.1% | +26.2% |
| 2000 | 108.5% | +20.4% |
| 2006 | 89.2% | -17.8% |
| 2008 | 88.4% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 96.0% | +8.5% |
| 2011 | 100.7% | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 52.2% | -48.2% |
| 2014 | 92.6% | +77.3% |
| 2015 | 90.0% | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 83.9% | -6.8% |
| 2017 | 79.6% | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 72.4% | -9.0% |
| 2021 | 67.5% | -6.8% |
| 2022 | 66.6% | -1.3% |
Liberia compared with similar countries
- Liberia's 66.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 96.8%, 69% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Liberia's 66.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 66% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Liberia 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 | +77.8% | 40.2% | 71.4% |
| 2014 | +77.3% | 52.2% | 92.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 39.6% | 35.6% | 45.9% | 7 |
| 1980s | 44.5% | 40.2% | 48.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 80.8% | 71.4% | 90.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 95.5% | 88.4% | 108.5% | 4 |
| 2010s | 83.2% | 52.2% | 100.7% | 6 |
| 2020s | 68.8% | 66.6% | 72.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
More education data for Liberia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,857 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 14,815 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 123,519 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 123,876 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 274,573 (2020)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 569,741 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.417 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.106 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Liberia?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Liberia was 66.6% in 2022, 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 Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 108.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.6% in 1970.
- How does Liberia rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Liberia ranks 213th out of 217 countries with data for 2022.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Liberia 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.