Share of children who have completed primary school in Germany
Germany: Share of children who have completed primary school was 100.0% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Share of children who have completed primary school in Germany, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of children who have completed primary school in Germany stood at 100.0%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Germany peaked at 100.0% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 100.0%, in 1981.
That places Germany 1st out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Germany, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 100.0% | — |
| 1982 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 100.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 99.6%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Germany's 100.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.6%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More education data for Germany
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 618,670 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,242 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.35 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.27 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.97 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.31 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.83 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0396 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Germany?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Germany was 100.0% 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 100.0% in 1981.
- How does Germany rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Germany ranks 1st out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Germany 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.