Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary was 108.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in United Arab Emirates, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in United Arab Emirates stood at 108.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in United Arab Emirates peaked at 122.9% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 68.6%, in 1971.
United Arab Emirates ranks 47th of 217 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 68.6% | — |
| 1972 | 74.6% | +8.7% |
| 1973 | 79.6% | +6.7% |
| 1974 | 81.8% | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 82.8% | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 93.6% | +13.1% |
| 1977 | 98.2% | +4.9% |
| 1978 | 97.6% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 94.2% | -3.5% |
| 1980 | 91.8% | -2.5% |
| 1981 | 88.3% | -3.9% |
| 1982 | 95.0% | +7.6% |
| 1983 | 96.2% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 96.0% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 94.0% | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 93.4% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 92.6% | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 94.4% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 98.4% | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 102.3% | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 104.0% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 100.7% | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 99.3% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 101.0% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 102.9% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 100.3% | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 96.9% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 98.0% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 102.5% | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 119.8% | +16.9% |
| 2001 | 122.9% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 118.8% | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 117.3% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 110.7% | -5.6% |
| 2005 | 105.7% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 100.3% | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 105.7% | +5.4% |
| 2019 | 107.5% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 108.1% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 106.7% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 107.3% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 106.3% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 108.0% | +1.7% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 108.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 99.8%, 1.1× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 108.0% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 97.6%, 1.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 85.7% | 68.6% | 98.2% | 9 |
| 1980s | 94.0% | 88.3% | 98.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 100.8% | 96.9% | 104.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 113.6% | 100.3% | 122.9% | 7 |
| 2010s | 106.6% | 105.7% | 107.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 107.3% | 106.3% | 108.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More education data for United Arab Emirates
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 106,178 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 305 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 119,159 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 125,307 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 894,302 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 586,477 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0534 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in United Arab Emirates?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in United Arab Emirates was 108.0% 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 122.9% in 2001.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.6% in 1971.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 47th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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.