School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes was 342,438 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
342,438
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
69th
of 222 countries
All-time high
396,321
in 1990
All-time low
311,074
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka stood at 342,438.
The figure is down 2.2% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka peaked at 396,321 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 311,074, in 1970.
Sri Lanka ranks 69th of 222 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 311,074 | — |
| 1971 | 315,780 | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 318,077 | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 322,700 | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 328,164 | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 334,484 | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 336,854 | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 339,720 | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 348,250 | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 350,327 | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 350,319 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 351,474 | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 348,430 | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 349,376 | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 346,381 | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 344,103 | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 350,991 | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 359,998 | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 367,619 | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 384,541 | +4.6% |
| 1990 | 396,321 | +3.1% |
| 1991 | 394,500 | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 395,472 | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 370,006 | -6.4% |
| 1994 | 352,360 | -4.8% |
| 1995 | 343,198 | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 340,191 | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 337,599 | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 334,161 | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 340,598 | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 342,867 | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 344,540 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 344,808 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 344,247 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 344,119 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 343,793 | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 342,678 | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 340,644 | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 340,241 | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 339,063 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 342,083 | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 346,631 | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 351,580 | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 357,472 | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 361,892 | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 364,739 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 365,988 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 365,751 | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 364,376 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 362,128 | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 358,975 | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 354,905 | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 356,353 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 357,403 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 350,123 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | 342,438 | -2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 330,543 | 311,074 | 350,327 | 10 |
| 1980s | 355,323 | 344,103 | 384,541 | 10 |
| 1990s | 360,441 | 334,161 | 396,321 | 10 |
| 2000s | 342,700 | 339,063 | 344,808 | 10 |
| 2010s | 358,264 | 342,083 | 365,988 | 10 |
| 2020s | 353,366 | 342,438 | 358,975 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka?
- School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka was 342,438 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 396,321 in 1990.
- What is the lowest school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 311,074 in 1970.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?
- Sri Lanka ranks 69th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release