School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes was 1.44 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.44 million
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
55th
of 220 countries
All-time high
1.53 million
in 1998
All-time low
508,490
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka stood at 1.44 million.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka peaked at 1.53 million in 1998 and was at its lowest, 508,490, in 1970.
Sri Lanka ranks 55th of 220 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 508,490 | — |
| 1971 | 521,218 | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 532,657 | +2.2% |
| 1973 | 543,485 | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 560,105 | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 583,330 | +4.1% |
| 1976 | 604,251 | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 617,793 | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 624,369 | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 630,836 | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 640,332 | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 651,489 | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 658,744 | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 660,054 | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 666,723 | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 673,273 | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 678,206 | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 683,811 | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 683,812 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 683,301 | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 683,357 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 673,744 | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 682,368 | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 704,441 | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 723,637 | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 748,842 | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 774,537 | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 783,044 | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 1.53 million | +95.5% |
| 1999 | 1.52 million | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 1.51 million | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 1.51 million | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.49 million | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.44 million | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 1.41 million | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 1.38 million | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 1.36 million | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 1.35 million | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 1.36 million | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 1.36 million | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 1.37 million | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 1.38 million | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 1.37 million | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 1.36 million | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 1.36 million | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 1.35 million | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 1.36 million | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 1.37 million | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 1.39 million | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 1.41 million | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 1.43 million | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 1.44 million | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 1.45 million | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 1.45 million | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 1.45 million | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 1.44 million | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 572,653 | 508,490 | 630,836 | 10 |
| 1980s | 667,974 | 640,332 | 683,812 | 10 |
| 1990s | 881,987 | 673,744 | 1.53 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.42 million | 1.35 million | 1.51 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.37 million | 1.35 million | 1.41 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.45 million | 1.43 million | 1.45 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
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, upper secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka?
- School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka was 1.44 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 1.53 million in 1998.
- What is the lowest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 508,490 in 1970.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes?
- Sri Lanka ranks 55th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. 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, upper secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release