School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes was 1.42 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.42 million
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
61st
of 220 countries
All-time high
1.94 million
in 1994
All-time low
1.36 million
in 2011
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka is 1.42 million, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka peaked at 1.94 million in 1994 and was at its lowest, 1.36 million, in 2011.
Sri Lanka ranks 61st of 220 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.40 million | — |
| 1971 | 1.45 million | +3.2% |
| 1972 | 1.49 million | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 1.53 million | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 1.56 million | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 1.59 million | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 1.61 million | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 1.63 million | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 1.65 million | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 1.68 million | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 1.70 million | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 1.72 million | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 1.73 million | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 1.74 million | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 1.73 million | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 1.73 million | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 1.72 million | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 1.73 million | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 1.74 million | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 1.76 million | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 1.80 million | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 1.85 million | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 1.89 million | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 1.93 million | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 1.94 million | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 1.91 million | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 1.87 million | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 1.83 million | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 1.40 million | -23.8% |
| 1999 | 1.40 million | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.40 million | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 1.41 million | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 1.40 million | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 1.38 million | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 1.37 million | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 1.37 million | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 1.37 million | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 1.37 million | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 1.37 million | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 1.37 million | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 1.36 million | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 1.36 million | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 1.36 million | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 1.37 million | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 1.39 million | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 1.41 million | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 1.43 million | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 1.45 million | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 1.46 million | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 1.46 million | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 1.46 million | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 1.45 million | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 1.44 million | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 1.43 million | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 1.43 million | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 1.42 million | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.56 million | 1.40 million | 1.68 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.73 million | 1.70 million | 1.76 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.78 million | 1.40 million | 1.94 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.38 million | 1.37 million | 1.41 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.41 million | 1.36 million | 1.46 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.44 million | 1.42 million | 1.46 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.25 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.3876 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 439,099 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.72 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 358,218 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -5.98 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 64,434 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 8,899 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 222,100 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -5.62 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka?
- School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka was 1.42 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 1.94 million in 1994.
- What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.36 million in 2011.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
- Sri Lanka ranks 61st out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. 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, published as part of School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release