Share of children who have completed primary school in Eswatini
Eswatini: Share of children who have completed primary school was 82.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Eswatini, 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 Eswatini is 82.5%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Eswatini peaked at 82.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 38.1%, in 1981.
Eswatini ranks 122nd 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 Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 38.1% | — |
| 1982 | 38.9% | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 39.8% | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 40.6% | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 41.6% | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 42.9% | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 43.9% | +2.5% |
| 1988 | 45.1% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 46.3% | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 47.5% | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 48.6% | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 49.8% | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 50.7% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 51.5% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 52.2% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 52.7% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 53.0% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 53.2% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 53.5% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 53.7% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 54.0% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 54.5% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 55.1% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 56.0% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 57.1% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 58.7% | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 60.5% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 62.3% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 64.1% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 65.7% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 67.3% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 68.8% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 70.3% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 71.8% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 73.3% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 74.7% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 75.9% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 77.0% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 77.9% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 78.8% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 79.6% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 80.4% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 81.2% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 81.8% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 82.5% | +0.8% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 82.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 96% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 82.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 41.9% | 38.1% | 46.3% | 9 |
| 1990s | 51.3% | 47.5% | 53.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.6% | 53.7% | 64.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 72.3% | 65.7% | 77.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.7% | 78.8% | 82.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More education data for Eswatini
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7,225 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,165 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 12,768 (2015)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 11,269 (2015)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 108,288 (2016)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 222,351 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.236 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1807 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Eswatini?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Eswatini was 82.5% 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 Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 82.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.1% in 1981.
- How does Eswatini rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Eswatini ranks 122nd out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eswatini 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
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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.