Share of children who have completed primary school in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Share of children who have completed primary school was 77.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Nicaragua, 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 Nicaragua stood at 77.7%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Nicaragua peaked at 77.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 41.8%, in 1981.
That places Nicaragua 129th out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 41.8% | — |
| 1982 | 42.6% | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 43.4% | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 44.1% | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 44.8% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 45.4% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 45.8% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 46.3% | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 46.7% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 47.1% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 47.6% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 48.2% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 49.1% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 50.3% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 51.4% | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 52.5% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 53.4% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 54.5% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 55.6% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 56.8% | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 58.0% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 59.1% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 60.3% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 61.7% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 62.9% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 63.9% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 64.7% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 65.5% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 66.3% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 67.1% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 67.9% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 68.6% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 69.4% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 70.2% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 70.9% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 71.6% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 72.3% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 73.0% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 73.8% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 74.4% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 75.1% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 75.8% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 76.5% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 77.1% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 77.7% | +0.8% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 77.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 90% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 77.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 96.7%, 80% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.5% | 41.8% | 46.7% | 9 |
| 1990s | 51.0% | 47.1% | 55.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.9% | 56.8% | 66.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.5% | 67.1% | 73.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.1% | 74.4% | 77.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More education data for Nicaragua
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 85,306 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 132,281 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 131,337 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 463,660 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 880,080 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9095 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.129 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Nicaragua?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Nicaragua was 77.7% 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 77.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.8% in 1981.
- How does Nicaragua rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Nicaragua ranks 129th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.