Share of children who have completed primary school in Nepal

Nepal: Share of children who have completed primary school was 90.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
90.8%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
105th
of 165 countries
All-time high
90.8%
in 2025
All-time low
11.8%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025

Share of children who have completed primary school in Nepal, 1981–2025

204060801001981200320251981: 11.8 %1982: 12.6 %1983: 13.5 %1984: 14.3 %1985: 15.3 %1986: 16.3 %1987: 17.3 %1988: 18.5 %1989: 19.7 %1990: 21.1 %1991: 22.6 %1992: 24.2 %1993: 25.8 %1994: 27.3 %1995: 28.8 %1996: 30.2 %1997: 31.7 %1998: 33.4 %1999: 35.4 %2000: 37.8 %2001: 40.3 %2002: 43.1 %2003: 45.9 %2004: 48.7 %2005: 51.6 %2006: 54.5 %2007: 57.3 %2008: 60 %2009: 62.4 %2010: 64.7 %2011: 66.9 %2012: 69 %2013: 70.9 %2014: 72.6 %2015: 74.2 %2016: 75.9 %2017: 77.7 %2018: 79.7 %2019: 81.8 %2020: 83.8 %2021: 85.6 %2022: 87.2 %2023: 88.7 %2024: 89.8 %2025: 90.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of children who have completed primary school in Nepal is 90.8%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 22.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Nepal peaked at 90.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 1981.

That places Nepal 105th out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 15.5% 11.8% 19.7% 9
1990s 28.1% 21.1% 35.4% 10
2000s 50.2% 37.8% 62.4% 10
2010s 73.4% 64.7% 81.8% 10
2020s 87.7% 83.8% 90.8% 6

Countries ranked near Nepal

  1. 102 Bhutan 93.6% compare
  2. 103 Brazil 93.0% compare
  3. 104 Suriname 91.3% compare
  4. 106 Bangladesh 90.8% compare
  5. 107 Belize 90.2% compare
  6. 108 Myanmar 89.8% compare

See the full ranking of 165 places →

More education data for Nepal

All data for Nepal →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who have completed primary school in Nepal?
Share of children who have completed primary school in Nepal was 90.8% 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 Nepal?
The highest recorded value was 90.8% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Nepal?
The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 1981.
How does Nepal rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
Nepal ranks 105th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Nepal?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nepal 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

Indicator
Share of children who have completed primary school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
165 places, 7,390 data points, 1981–2025
Last refreshed

The 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.