Share of children who have completed primary school in Syria
Syria: Share of children who have completed primary school was 98.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Syria, 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 Syria is 98.1%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Syria peaked at 98.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 84.5%, in 1981.
That places Syria 78th out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Syria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 84.5% | — |
| 1982 | 85.0% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 85.5% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 86.0% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 86.6% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 87.1% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 87.6% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 88.0% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 88.5% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 88.8% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 89.2% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 89.6% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 90.0% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 90.3% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 90.6% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 91.0% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 91.3% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 91.7% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 92.0% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 92.5% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 92.9% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 93.3% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 93.7% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 94.1% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 94.5% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 94.9% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 95.2% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 95.4% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 95.6% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 95.8% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 96.0% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 96.2% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 96.4% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 96.6% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 96.8% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 96.9% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 97.1% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 97.2% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 97.4% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 97.5% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 97.7% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 97.8% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 97.9% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 98.0% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 98.1% | +0.1% |
Syria compared with similar countries
- Syria's 98.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 57.7%, 1.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Syria's 98.1% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 96.6%, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 86.5% | 84.5% | 88.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 90.5% | 88.8% | 92.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 94.2% | 92.5% | 95.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 96.7% | 95.8% | 97.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.8% | 97.5% | 98.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Syria
More education data for Syria
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 54,596 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 90,421 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 75,782 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 72,747 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.17 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.0055 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.088 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Syria?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Syria was 98.1% 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 Syria?
- The highest recorded value was 98.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Syria?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.5% in 1981.
- How does Syria rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Syria ranks 78th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Syria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Syria 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.