Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Yemen
Yemen: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 77.0% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Yemen, 1999–2016
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Yemen recorded 77.0% for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in 2016.
The figure is down 6.2% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Yemen peaked at 82.1% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 63.5%, in 1999.
That places Yemen 209th out of 217 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Yemen, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 63.5% | — |
| 2001 | 69.0% | +8.6% |
| 2002 | 71.1% | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 74.4% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 77.4% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 79.4% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 77.9% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 77.9% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 80.8% | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 80.0% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 82.1% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 77.0% | -6.2% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 77.0% is below the median for low income countries, which is 96.8%, 80% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 77.0% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 97.6%, 79% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63.5% | 63.5% | 63.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 74.9% | 69.0% | 79.4% | 6 |
| 2010s | 79.5% | 77.0% | 82.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More education data for Yemen
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 229,234 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19,507 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 16,813 (2016)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.92 million (2016)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.90 million (2016)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.15 % change on previous year (2013)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2016)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1215 units per person (2016)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Yemen?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Yemen was 77.0% in 2016, 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 Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 82.1% in 2013.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.5% in 1999.
- How does Yemen rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Yemen ranks 209th out of 217 countries with data for 2016.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Yemen 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.