Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in South Asia

South Asia: Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes was 1.74 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
1.74 million number
Change on year
down 29.9%
Rank
25th
of 42 groups
All-time high
13.71 million number
in 1973
All-time low
1.74 million number
in 2019
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in South Asia, 1970–2019

2.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M12.5M197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in South Asia stood at 1.74 million number. That is the lowest value across all 50 years on record.

The figure is down 29.9% on the previous year and down 81.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in South Asia peaked at 13.71 million number in 1973 and was at its lowest, 1.74 million number, in 2019.

That places South Asia 25th out of 42 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.

Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in South Asia, year by year

Annual values for Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number) in South Asia, 1970 to 2019.
Year number Change
1970 13.37 million number
1971 13.54 million number +1.3%
1972 13.44 million number -0.8%
1973 13.71 million number +2.0%
1974 13.13 million number -4.2%
1975 12.88 million number -1.9%
1976 12.40 million number -3.7%
1977 12.00 million number -3.3%
1978 11.08 million number -7.6%
1979 10.62 million number -4.2%
1980 10.17 million number -4.3%
1981 9.72 million number -4.4%
1982 9.08 million number -6.6%
1983 8.55 million number -5.9%
1984 7.84 million number -8.2%
1985 6.95 million number -11.4%
1986 6.17 million number -11.2%
1987 5.18 million number -16.1%
1988 5.50 million number +6.4%
1989 5.67 million number +2.9%
1990 5.87 million number +3.5%
1991 6.00 million number +2.3%
1992 6.09 million number +1.5%
1993 6.22 million number +2.1%
1994 6.34 million number +1.9%
1995 6.35 million number +0.2%
1996 6.51 million number +2.5%
1997 6.62 million number +1.8%
1998 6.69 million number +1.0%
1999 6.83 million number +2.1%
2000 7.24 million number +6.0%
2001 6.64 million number -8.2%
2002 6.78 million number +2.0%
2003 7.21 million number +6.5%
2004 7.66 million number +6.2%
2005 8.09 million number +5.6%
2006 8.15 million number +0.7%
2007 8.92 million number +9.5%
2008 8.87 million number -0.5%
2009 9.55 million number +7.7%
2010 10.16 million number +6.4%
2011 10.26 million number +1.0%
2012 6.72 million number -34.5%
2013 5.70 million number -15.2%
2014 4.24 million number -25.7%
2015 3.18 million number -25.0%
2016 2.85 million number -10.2%
2017 2.69 million number -5.8%
2018 2.47 million number -8.0%
2019 1.74 million number -29.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 12.62 million number 10.62 million number 13.71 million number 10
1980s 7.48 million number 5.18 million number 10.17 million number 10
1990s 6.35 million number 5.87 million number 6.83 million number 10
2000s 7.91 million number 6.64 million number 9.55 million number 10
2010s 5.00 million number 1.74 million number 10.26 million number 10

Countries ranked near South Asia

  1. 22 Nepal 301,539 number compare
  2. 23 Afghanistan 267,018 number compare
  3. 24 Rwanda 251,851 number compare
  4. 25 Haiti 241,622 number compare
  5. 26 Kenya 235,728 number compare
  6. 27 Algeria 235,328 number compare
  7. 28 Yemen 229,234 number compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More education data for South Asia

All data for South Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in South Asia?
Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in South Asia was 1.74 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes recorded in South Asia?
The highest recorded value was 13.71 million number in 1973.
What is the lowest repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes recorded in South Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 1.74 million number in 2019.
How does South Asia rank for repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes?
South Asia ranks 25th out of 42 groups with data for 2019.
Is repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes rising or falling in South Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 81.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Asia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes in South Asia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/repeaters-in-primary-education-all-grades-both-sexes-number/south-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 7,144 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Number of pupils enrolled in the same grade for a second (or further) year.