Share of children who have completed primary school in El Salvador
El Salvador: Share of children who have completed primary school was 93.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in El Salvador, 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 El Salvador is 93.7%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in El Salvador peaked at 93.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 47.8%, in 1981.
El Salvador ranks 100th of 165 countries on this measure, 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 El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 47.8% | — |
| 1982 | 49.1% | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 50.4% | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 51.7% | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 53.1% | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 54.5% | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 55.8% | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 57.2% | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 58.5% | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 59.5% | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 60.4% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 61.1% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 61.9% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 62.6% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 63.5% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 64.5% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 65.7% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 66.9% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 68.2% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 69.6% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 71.1% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 72.7% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 74.3% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 75.8% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 77.2% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 78.7% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 80.2% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 81.5% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 82.7% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 83.8% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 84.8% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 85.6% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 86.3% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 87.0% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 87.7% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 88.4% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 89.1% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 89.8% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 90.5% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 91.1% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 91.7% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 92.2% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 92.7% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 93.2% | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 93.7% | +0.5% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 93.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98.7%, 95% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 93.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 96.7%, 97% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 53.1% | 47.8% | 58.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 63.4% | 59.5% | 68.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.4% | 69.6% | 82.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.3% | 83.8% | 90.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 92.5% | 91.1% | 93.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More education data for El Salvador
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,715 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 21,853 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 100,826 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 100,758 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 417,193 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 594,860 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0939 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in El Salvador?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in El Salvador was 93.7% 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 El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 93.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.8% in 1981.
- How does El Salvador rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- El Salvador ranks 100th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this El Salvador 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.