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
Share of children who have completed primary school in Gambia, 1981–2025
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.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 24.0% | — |
| 1982 | 25.0% | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 26.0% | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 27.1% | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 28.1% | +3.8% |
| 1986 | 29.1% | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 29.9% | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 30.8% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 31.7% | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 32.6% | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 33.4% | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 34.2% | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 35.2% | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 36.4% | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 37.6% | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 38.8% | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 40.1% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 41.4% | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 42.9% | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 44.4% | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 46.1% | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 47.9% | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 49.9% | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 51.7% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 53.3% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 54.8% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 56.1% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 57.3% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 58.4% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 59.4% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 60.4% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 61.4% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 62.5% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 63.6% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 64.7% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 65.8% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 66.8% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 67.8% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 68.8% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 69.8% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 70.7% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 71.7% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 72.7% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 73.8% | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 74.8% | +1.4% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 74.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 57.7%, 1.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 74.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More education data for Gambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,452 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 16,389 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 71,238 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77,061 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 369,783 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 442,901 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1569 units per person (2025)
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
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.