Share of children who have completed primary school in Kenya
Kenya: Share of children who have completed primary school was 88.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Kenya, 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 Kenya stood at 88.4%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 19.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Kenya peaked at 88.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 52.0%, in 1981.
That places Kenya 112th 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 52.0% | — |
| 1982 | 52.3% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 52.5% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 52.8% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 53.0% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 53.5% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 54.0% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 54.5% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 55.0% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 55.4% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 55.7% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 55.7% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 55.5% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 55.3% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 54.8% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 54.2% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 53.7% | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 53.4% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 53.4% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 54.0% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 55.0% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 56.3% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 57.6% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 59.0% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 60.6% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 62.3% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 64.1% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 65.9% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 67.5% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 69.0% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 70.2% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 71.2% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 72.1% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 72.9% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 73.7% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 74.8% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 76.0% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 77.6% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 79.4% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 81.3% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 83.2% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 84.8% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 86.2% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 87.4% | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 88.4% | +1.1% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 88.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 88.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 53.3% | 52.0% | 55.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 54.7% | 53.4% | 55.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.2% | 54.0% | 67.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.7% | 69.0% | 79.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.2% | 81.3% | 88.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More education data for Kenya
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 168,396 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 235,728 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.44 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.74 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 8.04 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.7181 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1453 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Kenya?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Kenya was 88.4% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 88.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.0% in 1981.
- How does Kenya rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Kenya ranks 112th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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.