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
Share of children who have completed primary school in Nepal, 1981–2025
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.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 11.8% | — |
| 1982 | 12.6% | +6.8% |
| 1983 | 13.5% | +7.2% |
| 1984 | 14.3% | +6.6% |
| 1985 | 15.3% | +6.5% |
| 1986 | 16.3% | +6.4% |
| 1987 | 17.3% | +6.3% |
| 1988 | 18.5% | +6.8% |
| 1989 | 19.7% | +6.9% |
| 1990 | 21.1% | +7.2% |
| 1991 | 22.6% | +7.0% |
| 1992 | 24.2% | +7.0% |
| 1993 | 25.8% | +6.4% |
| 1994 | 27.3% | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 28.8% | +5.4% |
| 1996 | 30.2% | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 31.7% | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 33.4% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 35.4% | +6.1% |
| 2000 | 37.8% | +6.6% |
| 2001 | 40.3% | +6.8% |
| 2002 | 43.1% | +6.7% |
| 2003 | 45.9% | +6.5% |
| 2004 | 48.7% | +6.3% |
| 2005 | 51.6% | +5.9% |
| 2006 | 54.5% | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 57.3% | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 60.0% | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 62.4% | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 64.7% | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 66.9% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 69.0% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 70.9% | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 72.6% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 74.2% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 75.9% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 77.7% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 79.7% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 81.8% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 83.8% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 85.6% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 87.2% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 88.7% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 89.8% | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 90.8% | +1.1% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 90.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 90.8% is below the median for South Asia, which is 93.6%, 97% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More education data for Nepal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 124,257 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 263,796 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 752,326 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1204 units per person (2025)
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
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.