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

Latest (2025)
30.4%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
162nd
of 165 countries
All-time high
39.1%
in 2008
All-time low
20.8%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025

Share of children who have completed primary school in Uganda, 1981–2025

0102030401981200320251981: 20.8 %1982: 20.9 %1983: 21 %1984: 21.1 %1985: 21.1 %1986: 21.1 %1987: 21 %1988: 21 %1989: 21.2 %1990: 21.6 %1991: 22.2 %1992: 23 %1993: 23.6 %1994: 24.2 %1995: 24.9 %1996: 25.9 %1997: 27.2 %1998: 28.9 %1999: 30.8 %2000: 32.8 %2001: 34.6 %2002: 36.1 %2003: 37.2 %2004: 37.8 %2005: 38.3 %2006: 38.5 %2007: 38.9 %2008: 39.1 %2009: 39.1 %2010: 38.9 %2011: 38.5 %2012: 37.9 %2013: 37.2 %2014: 36.4 %2015: 35.3 %2016: 34.2 %2017: 33.1 %2018: 32.3 %2019: 31.5 %2020: 31 %2021: 30.7 %2022: 30.4 %2023: 30.3 %2024: 30.4 %2025: 30.4 %

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 159 Chad 37.8% compare
  2. 160 Central African Republic 30.8% compare
  3. 161 Guinea-Bissau 30.5% compare
  4. 163 Liberia 29.8% compare
  5. 164 Somalia 28.8% compare
  6. 165 South Sudan 7.9% compare

See the full ranking of 165 places →

More education data for Uganda

All data for Uganda →

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

Indicator
Share of children who have completed primary school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
165 places, 7,390 data points, 1981–2025
Last refreshed

The 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.