School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes was 651,683 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
651,683
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
81st
of 222 countries
All-time high
733,058
in 2011
All-time low
316,186
in 1994
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka is 651,683, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka peaked at 733,058 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 316,186, in 1994.
That places Sri Lanka 81st out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 337,069 | — |
| 1971 | 339,517 | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 342,445 | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 351,048 | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 353,174 | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 353,183 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 354,375 | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 351,433 | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 352,765 | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 350,308 | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 348,700 | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 355,876 | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 364,887 | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 372,125 | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 388,273 | +4.3% |
| 1985 | 398,996 | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 397,428 | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 398,391 | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 372,293 | -6.6% |
| 1989 | 354,215 | -4.9% |
| 1990 | 344,733 | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 333,538 | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 323,180 | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 319,308 | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 316,186 | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 324,053 | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 329,795 | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 332,485 | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 338,641 | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 340,812 | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 341,150 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 342,170 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 341,680 | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 342,334 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 341,229 | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 347,189 | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 355,180 | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 357,771 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 360,037 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 362,662 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 731,293 | +101.6% |
| 2011 | 733,058 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 732,979 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 729,107 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 723,516 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 716,155 | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 713,468 | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 716,088 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 709,901 | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 695,103 | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 682,581 | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 674,137 | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 668,424 | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 663,485 | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 657,752 | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 651,683 | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 348,532 | 337,069 | 354,375 | 10 |
| 1980s | 375,118 | 348,700 | 398,996 | 10 |
| 1990s | 330,273 | 316,186 | 344,733 | 10 |
| 2000s | 349,140 | 341,150 | 362,662 | 10 |
| 2010s | 720,067 | 695,103 | 733,058 | 10 |
| 2020s | 666,344 | 651,683 | 682,581 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 78 North Korea 683,807 compare
- 79 Sierra Leone 683,783 compare
- 80 Honduras 679,772 compare
- 82 Kyrgyzstan 648,565 compare
- 83 Australia 611,297 compare
- 84 Romania 602,407 compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- 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)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 136,118 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) -6.56 % change on previous year (2023)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka?
- School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka was 651,683 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 733,058 in 2011.
- What is the lowest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 316,186 in 1994.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes?
- Sri Lanka ranks 81st out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. 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, pre-primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release