Share of children who have completed primary school in Benin
Benin: Share of children who have completed primary school was 70.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Benin, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of children who have completed primary school in Benin stood at 70.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 21.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Benin peaked at 70.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 18.1%, in 1991.
That places Benin 141st out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Benin, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 24.5% | — |
| 1982 | 24.0% | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 23.4% | -2.5% |
| 1984 | 22.6% | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 21.8% | -3.8% |
| 1986 | 20.7% | -4.9% |
| 1987 | 19.8% | -4.3% |
| 1988 | 19.1% | -3.7% |
| 1989 | 18.5% | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 18.2% | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 18.1% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 18.5% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 19.1% | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 19.9% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 20.9% | +5.1% |
| 1996 | 22.0% | +5.5% |
| 1997 | 23.3% | +5.7% |
| 1998 | 24.7% | +6.2% |
| 1999 | 26.2% | +5.9% |
| 2000 | 27.7% | +5.9% |
| 2001 | 29.4% | +6.0% |
| 2002 | 31.2% | +6.2% |
| 2003 | 33.2% | +6.3% |
| 2004 | 35.5% | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 38.0% | +7.3% |
| 2006 | 40.8% | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 43.6% | +7.0% |
| 2008 | 46.4% | +6.3% |
| 2009 | 48.9% | +5.5% |
| 2010 | 51.2% | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 53.2% | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 54.7% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 55.8% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 56.8% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 57.5% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 58.1% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 58.8% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 59.7% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 61.0% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 62.5% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 64.1% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 65.8% | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 67.3% | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 68.8% | +2.2% |
| 2025 | 70.1% | +1.9% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 70.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 81% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Benin's 70.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 97% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 21.6% | 18.5% | 24.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 21.1% | 18.1% | 26.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.5% | 27.7% | 48.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.7% | 51.2% | 61.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.4% | 62.5% | 70.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 138 Burkina Faso 72.2% compare
- 139 Rwanda 71.9% compare
- 140 Laos 70.1% compare
- 142 Sierra Leone 68.8% compare
- 143 Democratic Republic of Congo 68.4% compare
- 144 Zambia 67.4% compare
More education data for Benin
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 57,296 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 209,295 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 85,495 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 84,746 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 929,099 (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.40 million (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.18 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1743 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Benin?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Benin was 70.1% 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 70.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.1% in 1991.
- How does Benin rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Benin ranks 141st out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin 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.