Share of children who have completed primary school in Iran
Iran: Share of children who have completed primary school was 96.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Iran, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iran recorded 96.7% 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 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Iran peaked at 96.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 73.0%, in 1981.
That places Iran 88th 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 Iran, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 73.0% | — |
| 1982 | 73.7% | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 74.5% | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 75.4% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 76.4% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 77.4% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 78.5% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 79.8% | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 81.3% | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 82.7% | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 84.2% | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 85.5% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 86.9% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 88.1% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 89.3% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 90.2% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 91.0% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 91.5% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 91.9% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 92.1% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 92.3% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 92.4% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 92.6% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 92.9% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 93.1% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 93.2% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 93.2% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 93.3% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 93.3% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 93.5% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 93.6% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 93.8% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 94.0% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 94.2% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 94.5% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 94.7% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 94.9% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 95.2% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 95.4% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 95.7% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 95.9% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 96.1% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 96.3% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 96.5% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 96.7% | +0.2% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 96.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98.7%, 98% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Iran's 96.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 96.6%, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 76.7% | 73.0% | 81.3% | 9 |
| 1990s | 88.1% | 82.7% | 91.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 92.9% | 92.1% | 93.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 94.4% | 93.5% | 95.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 96.2% | 95.7% | 96.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More education data for Iran
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Iran?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Iran was 96.7% 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 96.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.0% in 1981.
- How does Iran rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Iran ranks 88th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran 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.