Share of children who have completed primary school in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Share of children who have completed primary school was 90.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Bangladesh, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children who have completed primary school in Bangladesh is 90.8%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 15.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Bangladesh peaked at 90.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 21.5%, in 1981.
That places Bangladesh 106th out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 21.5% | — |
| 1982 | 22.8% | +6.0% |
| 1983 | 24.1% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 25.2% | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 26.4% | +4.6% |
| 1986 | 27.6% | +4.6% |
| 1987 | 28.9% | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 30.4% | +5.0% |
| 1989 | 31.9% | +5.3% |
| 1990 | 33.7% | +5.4% |
| 1991 | 35.6% | +5.7% |
| 1992 | 37.6% | +5.8% |
| 1993 | 39.7% | +5.4% |
| 1994 | 41.6% | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 43.7% | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 46.0% | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 48.5% | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 51.2% | +5.5% |
| 1999 | 53.7% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 56.1% | +4.4% |
| 2001 | 58.2% | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 60.1% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 61.8% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 63.4% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 65.0% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 66.5% | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 68.0% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 69.2% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 70.5% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 71.9% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 73.3% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 74.6% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 75.9% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 77.2% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 78.7% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 80.3% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 81.8% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 83.3% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 84.7% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 85.9% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 87.0% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 88.1% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 89.0% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 89.9% | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 90.8% | +0.9% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 90.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 90.8% is below the median for South Asia, which is 93.6%, 97% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 26.5% | 21.5% | 31.9% | 9 |
| 1990s | 43.1% | 33.7% | 53.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.9% | 56.1% | 70.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.2% | 71.9% | 84.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.5% | 85.9% | 90.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More education data for Bangladesh
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 571,690 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 387,056 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.77 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16.69 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0961 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Bangladesh?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Bangladesh was 90.8% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 90.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.5% in 1981.
- How does Bangladesh rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Bangladesh ranks 106th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.