Share of children who have completed primary school in Gambia

Gambia: Share of children who have completed primary school was 74.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
74.8%
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
134th
of 165 countries
All-time high
74.8%
in 2025
All-time low
24.0%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025

Share of children who have completed primary school in Gambia, 1981–2025

204060801981200320251981: 24 %1982: 25 %1983: 26 %1984: 27.1 %1985: 28.1 %1986: 29.1 %1987: 29.9 %1988: 30.8 %1989: 31.7 %1990: 32.6 %1991: 33.4 %1992: 34.2 %1993: 35.2 %1994: 36.4 %1995: 37.6 %1996: 38.8 %1997: 40.1 %1998: 41.4 %1999: 42.9 %2000: 44.4 %2001: 46.1 %2002: 47.9 %2003: 49.9 %2004: 51.7 %2005: 53.3 %2006: 54.8 %2007: 56.1 %2008: 57.3 %2009: 58.4 %2010: 59.4 %2011: 60.4 %2012: 61.4 %2013: 62.5 %2014: 63.6 %2015: 64.7 %2016: 65.8 %2017: 66.8 %2018: 67.8 %2019: 68.8 %2020: 69.8 %2021: 70.7 %2022: 71.7 %2023: 72.7 %2024: 73.8 %2025: 74.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Gambia recorded 74.8% for share of children who have completed primary school in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Gambia peaked at 74.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 24.0%, in 1981.

That places Gambia 134th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 28.0% 24.0% 31.7% 9
1990s 37.3% 32.6% 42.9% 10
2000s 52.0% 44.4% 58.4% 10
2010s 64.1% 59.4% 68.8% 10
2020s 72.2% 69.8% 74.8% 6

Countries ranked near Gambia

  1. 131 Nigeria 76.8% compare
  2. 132 Tanzania 75.7% compare
  3. 133 Sudan 75.6% compare
  4. 135 Yemen 74.8% compare
  5. 136 Gabon 74.2% compare
  6. 137 Equatorial Guinea 73.6% compare

See the full ranking of 165 places →

More education data for Gambia

All data for Gambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who have completed primary school in Gambia?
Share of children who have completed primary school in Gambia was 74.8% 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 Gambia?
The highest recorded value was 74.8% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Gambia?
The lowest recorded value was 24.0% in 1981.
How does Gambia rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
Gambia ranks 134th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Gambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Gambia 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

Indicator
Share of children who have completed primary school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
165 places, 7,390 data points, 1981–2025
Last refreshed

The 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.