Share of children who have completed primary school in Bhutan
Bhutan: Share of children who have completed primary school was 93.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of children who have completed primary school in Bhutan, 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 Bhutan stood at 93.6%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Bhutan peaked at 93.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 1981.
Bhutan ranks 102nd of 165 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 4.2% | — |
| 1982 | 4.9% | +15.3% |
| 1983 | 5.7% | +16.2% |
| 1984 | 6.5% | +15.0% |
| 1985 | 7.5% | +15.2% |
| 1986 | 8.6% | +14.6% |
| 1987 | 9.8% | +13.9% |
| 1988 | 11.1% | +12.8% |
| 1989 | 12.5% | +12.7% |
| 1990 | 14.1% | +12.8% |
| 1991 | 15.9% | +12.6% |
| 1992 | 17.7% | +11.7% |
| 1993 | 19.7% | +11.3% |
| 1994 | 21.8% | +10.5% |
| 1995 | 23.9% | +10.0% |
| 1996 | 26.2% | +9.2% |
| 1997 | 28.5% | +8.8% |
| 1998 | 30.8% | +8.2% |
| 1999 | 33.3% | +8.1% |
| 2000 | 35.8% | +7.6% |
| 2001 | 38.5% | +7.4% |
| 2002 | 41.1% | +6.9% |
| 2003 | 43.9% | +6.8% |
| 2004 | 47.0% | +6.9% |
| 2005 | 50.2% | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 53.5% | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 56.9% | +6.4% |
| 2008 | 60.2% | +5.8% |
| 2009 | 63.3% | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 66.2% | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 68.8% | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 71.4% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 73.7% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 76.1% | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 78.3% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 80.4% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 82.4% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 84.3% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 85.9% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 87.5% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 89.0% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 90.3% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 91.5% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 92.6% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 93.6% | +1.1% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 93.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 93.6% is above the median for South Asia, which is 93.6%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.9% | 4.2% | 12.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 23.2% | 14.1% | 33.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.0% | 35.8% | 63.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.7% | 66.2% | 85.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.7% | 87.5% | 93.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More education data for Bhutan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,995 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,961 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,905 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,735 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 67,821 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,759 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1159 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Bhutan?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Bhutan was 93.6% 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 93.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 1981.
- How does Bhutan rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Bhutan ranks 102nd out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.