Share of children who have completed primary school in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of children who have completed primary school was 68.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Democratic Republic of Congo, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo is 68.4%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 19.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 68.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 34.6%, in 1999.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 143rd of 165 countries on this measure, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 40.4% | — |
| 1982 | 40.4% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 40.3% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 40.1% | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 39.7% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 39.5% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 39.2% | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 38.9% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 38.8% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 38.6% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 38.4% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 38.0% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 37.5% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 37.0% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 36.4% | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 35.7% | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 35.1% | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 34.7% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 34.6% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 34.7% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 35.2% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 36.1% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 37.6% | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 39.3% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 40.9% | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 42.4% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 43.9% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 45.6% | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 47.6% | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 49.8% | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 51.8% | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 53.6% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 54.9% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 56.1% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 57.2% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 58.5% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 59.8% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 61.0% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 62.1% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 63.2% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 64.2% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 65.4% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 66.5% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 67.5% | +1.6% |
| 2025 | 68.4% | +1.4% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 68.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 57.7%, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 68.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 95% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.7% | 38.8% | 40.4% | 9 |
| 1990s | 36.6% | 34.6% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.3% | 34.7% | 47.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.5% | 49.8% | 62.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.9% | 63.2% | 68.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More education data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 621,578 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1.99 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,532 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 427,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.93 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 21.15 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 7.35 % change on previous year (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1999 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Democratic Republic of Congo was 68.4% 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 68.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.6% in 1999.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 143rd out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.