Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 91.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sri Lanka, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 91.5% for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sri Lanka peaked at 123.7% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 83.2%, in 1976.
Sri Lanka ranks 182nd of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 96.4% | 83.2% | 114.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 117.9% | 106.8% | 123.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 114.0% | 107.3% | 120.0% | 8 |
| 2000s | 95.8% | 92.2% | 102.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 96.9% | 95.5% | 97.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 93.5% | 91.5% | 95.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 21.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 91.5% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 73,333 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.95 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 92.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sri Lanka?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sri Lanka was 91.5% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 123.7% in 1985.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 83.2% in 1976.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Sri Lanka ranks 182nd out of 217 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.