Share of children who have completed primary school in Uganda
Uganda: Share of children who have completed primary school was 30.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Uganda, 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 Uganda stood at 30.4%.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Uganda peaked at 39.1% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 20.8%, in 1981.
Uganda ranks 162nd of 165 countries on this measure, 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 Uganda, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 20.8% | — |
| 1982 | 20.9% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 21.0% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 21.1% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 21.1% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 21.1% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 21.0% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 21.0% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 21.2% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 21.6% | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 22.2% | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 23.0% | +3.3% |
| 1993 | 23.6% | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 24.2% | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 24.9% | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 25.9% | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 27.2% | +5.1% |
| 1998 | 28.9% | +6.4% |
| 1999 | 30.8% | +6.6% |
| 2000 | 32.8% | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 34.6% | +5.4% |
| 2002 | 36.1% | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 37.2% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 37.8% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 38.3% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 38.5% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 38.9% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 39.1% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 39.1% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 38.9% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 38.5% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 37.9% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 37.2% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 36.4% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 35.3% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 34.2% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 33.1% | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 32.3% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 31.5% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 31.0% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 30.7% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 30.4% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 30.3% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 30.4% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 30.4% | +0.2% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 30.4% is below the median for low income countries, which is 57.7%, 53% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 30.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 42% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 21.0% | 20.8% | 21.2% | 9 |
| 1990s | 25.2% | 21.6% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.2% | 32.8% | 39.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.5% | 31.5% | 38.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.5% | 30.3% | 31.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
- 159 Chad 37.8% compare
- 160 Central African Republic 30.8% compare
- 161 Guinea-Bissau 30.5% compare
- 163 Liberia 29.8% compare
- 164 Somalia 28.8% compare
- 165 South Sudan 7.9% compare
More education data for Uganda
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 63,957 (2014)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 778,349 (2017)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 301,523 (2017)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 307,450 (2017)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.03 million (2007)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 8.84 million (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.13 % change on previous year (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.22 units per person (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Uganda?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Uganda was 30.4% 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 Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 39.1% in 2008.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.8% in 1981.
- How does Uganda rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Uganda ranks 162nd out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uganda 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.