Share of children who have completed primary school in Guatemala
Guatemala: Share of children who have completed primary school was 87.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Guatemala, 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 Guatemala stood at 87.0%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Guatemala peaked at 87.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 33.8%, in 1981.
That places Guatemala 115th out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Guatemala, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 33.8% | — |
| 1982 | 34.8% | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 35.9% | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 36.9% | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 38.0% | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 38.8% | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 39.5% | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 40.0% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 40.6% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 41.2% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 41.8% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 42.4% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 43.2% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 44.1% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 45.2% | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 46.4% | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 47.7% | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 48.8% | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 50.1% | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 51.5% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 52.9% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 54.6% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 56.2% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 58.1% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 60.0% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 62.0% | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 64.0% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 66.1% | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 68.1% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 70.2% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 72.3% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 74.2% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 75.8% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 77.3% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 78.5% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 79.5% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 80.4% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 81.3% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 82.3% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 83.2% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 84.0% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 84.8% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 85.6% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 86.4% | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 87.0% | +0.8% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 87.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98.7%, 88% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 87.0% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 96.7%, 90% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37.6% | 33.8% | 40.6% | 9 |
| 1990s | 45.1% | 41.2% | 50.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.3% | 51.5% | 68.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 77.2% | 70.2% | 82.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.2% | 83.2% | 87.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More education data for Guatemala
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 122,548 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 247,917 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 335,306 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 328,468 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.42 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.3948 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1317 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Guatemala?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Guatemala was 87.0% 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 Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 87.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.8% in 1981.
- How does Guatemala rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Guatemala ranks 115th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Guatemala 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.