Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Nepal
Nepal: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 128.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Nepal, 1970–2025
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 Nepal is 128.6%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Nepal peaked at 151.6% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 25.2%, in 1970.
Nepal ranks 6th of 217 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 25.2% | — |
| 1981 | 68.4% | +171.4% |
| 1982 | 70.9% | +3.7% |
| 1983 | 76.3% | +7.6% |
| 1984 | 80.0% | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 80.7% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 80.6% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 82.6% | +2.5% |
| 1988 | 87.0% | +5.3% |
| 1989 | 101.6% | +16.7% |
| 1990 | 109.2% | +7.5% |
| 1991 | 110.0% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 112.6% | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 111.7% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 112.4% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 112.1% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 115.6% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 113.2% | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 111.6% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 114.3% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 106.7% | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 110.7% | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 110.0% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 112.8% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 113.7% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 128.4% | +12.9% |
| 2007 | 130.2% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 128.9% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 141.3% | +9.7% |
| 2010 | 147.1% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 151.6% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 149.4% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 145.7% | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 143.0% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 143.6% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 139.2% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 135.3% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 137.4% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 121.9% | -11.3% |
| 2021 | 120.0% | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 121.2% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 126.6% | +4.4% |
| 2024 | 124.6% | -1.5% |
| 2025 | 128.6% | +3.2% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 128.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 128.6% is above the median for South Asia, which is 108.8%, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Nepal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +171.4% | 25.2% | 68.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 25.2% | 25.2% | 25.2% | 1 |
| 1980s | 80.9% | 68.4% | 101.6% | 9 |
| 1990s | 112.0% | 109.2% | 115.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 119.7% | 106.7% | 141.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 143.6% | 135.3% | 151.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 123.8% | 120.0% | 128.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 3 Rwanda 149.6% compare
- 4 Malawi 139.0% compare
- 5 Madagascar 132.7% compare
- 7 Turks and Caicos Islands 125.1% compare
- 8 United States Virgin Islands 124.1% compare
- 9 Saint Kitts and Nevis 121.1% compare
More education data for Nepal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 124,257 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 263,796 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 752,326 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1204 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Nepal?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Nepal was 128.6% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 151.6% in 2011.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.2% in 1970.
- How does Nepal rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Nepal ranks 6th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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.