Share of children who have completed primary school in Rwanda
Rwanda: Share of children who have completed primary school was 71.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Rwanda, 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 Rwanda stood at 71.9%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 64.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Rwanda peaked at 71.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 19.8%, in 2000.
That places Rwanda 139th 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 Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 21.8% | — |
| 1982 | 22.8% | +4.3% |
| 1983 | 23.9% | +4.9% |
| 1984 | 25.2% | +5.5% |
| 1985 | 26.5% | +5.0% |
| 1986 | 27.5% | +4.0% |
| 1987 | 28.4% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 29.2% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 29.9% | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 30.8% | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 31.4% | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 31.5% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 30.8% | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 29.3% | -4.9% |
| 1995 | 27.0% | -7.8% |
| 1996 | 24.5% | -9.1% |
| 1997 | 22.3% | -9.0% |
| 1998 | 20.8% | -7.0% |
| 1999 | 19.9% | -4.0% |
| 2000 | 19.8% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 20.3% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 21.3% | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 22.7% | +6.7% |
| 2004 | 24.4% | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 26.5% | +8.3% |
| 2006 | 28.7% | +8.5% |
| 2007 | 31.0% | +8.0% |
| 2008 | 33.2% | +6.9% |
| 2009 | 34.9% | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 36.4% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 37.6% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 38.9% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 40.3% | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 41.9% | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 43.6% | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 45.7% | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 48.1% | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 50.9% | +5.9% |
| 2019 | 54.1% | +6.3% |
| 2020 | 57.4% | +6.0% |
| 2021 | 60.7% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | 63.8% | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 66.7% | +4.5% |
| 2024 | 69.3% | +4.0% |
| 2025 | 71.9% | +3.6% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 71.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 57.7%, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 71.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 100% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 26.1% | 21.8% | 29.9% | 9 |
| 1990s | 26.8% | 19.9% | 31.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.3% | 19.8% | 34.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.8% | 36.4% | 54.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.0% | 57.4% | 71.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 136 Gabon 74.2% compare
- 137 Equatorial Guinea 73.6% compare
- 138 Burkina Faso 72.2% compare
- 140 Laos 70.1% compare
- 141 Benin 70.1% compare
- 142 Sierra Leone 68.8% compare
More education data for Rwanda
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 34,324 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 795,920 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 305,636 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 299,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 901,617 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.01 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2109 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Rwanda?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Rwanda was 71.9% 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 71.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.8% in 2000.
- How does Rwanda rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Rwanda ranks 139th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 64.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.