Share of children who have completed primary school in Liberia
Liberia: Share of children who have completed primary school was 29.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Liberia, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Liberia recorded 29.8% for share of children who have completed primary school in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Liberia peaked at 29.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 17.5%, in 1981.
Liberia ranks 163rd of 165 countries on this measure, 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 Liberia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 17.5% | — |
| 1982 | 17.8% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 17.9% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 18.1% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 18.4% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 18.6% | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 18.7% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 18.8% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 18.9% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 18.8% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 18.7% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 18.7% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 18.7% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 18.9% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 19.3% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 19.6% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 20.2% | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 20.9% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 21.6% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 22.4% | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 23.0% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 23.4% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 23.8% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 24.4% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 25.2% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 26.3% | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 27.5% | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 28.5% | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 29.2% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 29.3% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 29.4% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 29.3% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 29.1% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 28.9% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 28.8% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 28.8% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 28.7% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 28.7% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 28.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 28.6% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 28.7% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 29.0% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 29.4% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 29.6% | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 29.8% | +0.8% |
Liberia compared with similar countries
- Liberia's 29.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 57.7%, 52% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Liberia's 29.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 41% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 18.3% | 17.5% | 18.9% | 9 |
| 1990s | 19.6% | 18.7% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.4% | 22.4% | 29.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.0% | 28.6% | 29.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.2% | 28.6% | 29.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
- 160 Central African Republic 30.8% compare
- 161 Guinea-Bissau 30.5% compare
- 162 Uganda 30.4% compare
- 164 Somalia 28.8% compare
- 165 South Sudan 7.9% compare
More education data for Liberia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,857 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 14,815 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 123,519 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 123,876 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 274,573 (2020)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 569,741 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.417 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.106 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Liberia?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Liberia was 29.8% 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 Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.5% in 1981.
- How does Liberia rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Liberia ranks 163rd out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Liberia 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.