Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Rwanda
Rwanda: Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary was 149.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Rwanda, 1971–2024
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 Rwanda is 149.6%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Rwanda peaked at 156.6% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 51.6%, in 1975.
That places Rwanda 3rd out of 217 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 58.3% | — |
| 1972 | 55.6% | -4.6% |
| 1973 | 54.4% | -2.1% |
| 1974 | 53.7% | -1.3% |
| 1975 | 51.6% | -3.8% |
| 1976 | 52.8% | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 56.0% | +6.0% |
| 1978 | 58.3% | +4.2% |
| 1979 | 63.2% | +8.3% |
| 1980 | 66.5% | +5.3% |
| 1981 | 70.8% | +6.5% |
| 1982 | 71.9% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 69.2% | -3.9% |
| 1984 | 67.9% | -1.9% |
| 1985 | 67.2% | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 68.0% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 70.3% | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 72.0% | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 73.0% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 71.8% | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 71.8% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 73.7% | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 75.4% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 78.4% | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 82.3% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 118.3% | +43.8% |
| 2001 | 121.9% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 123.5% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 123.2% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 131.4% | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 138.1% | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 148.0% | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 154.8% | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 154.7% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 156.6% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 155.3% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 154.1% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 153.4% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 123.7% | -19.3% |
| 2014 | 138.3% | +11.8% |
| 2015 | 137.2% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 140.6% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 139.3% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 137.1% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 138.0% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 151.1% | +9.5% |
| 2022 | 148.8% | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 151.9% | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 149.6% | -1.5% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 149.6% is above the median for low income countries, which is 96.8%, 1.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 149.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Rwanda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +43.8% | 82.3% | 118.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 56.0% | 51.6% | 63.2% | 9 |
| 1980s | 69.7% | 66.5% | 73.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 75.6% | 71.8% | 82.3% | 6 |
| 2000s | 137.1% | 118.3% | 156.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 141.7% | 123.7% | 155.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 150.3% | 148.8% | 151.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 1 Haiti 184.0% compare
- 2 Sierra Leone 162.1% compare
- 4 Malawi 139.0% compare
- 5 Madagascar 132.7% compare
- 6 Nepal 128.6% compare
More education data for Rwanda
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 34,324 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 795,920 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 305,636 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 299,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 901,617 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.01 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2109 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Rwanda?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Rwanda was 149.6% in 2024, 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 156.6% in 2009.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.6% in 1975.
- How does Rwanda rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Rwanda ranks 3rd out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.