School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) 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 (number) 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% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1.42 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 354,188, 4.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 1.42 million is below the median for South Asia, which is 1.56 million, 91% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
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
- 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, 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