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Share of children who have completed primary school in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Share of children who have completed primary school was 99.9% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
99.9%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
14th
of 165 countries
All-time high
99.9%
in 2024
All-time low
99.8%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025

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

0204060801001981200320251981: 99.8 %1982: 99.8 %1983: 99.8 %1984: 99.8 %1985: 99.8 %1986: 99.8 %1987: 99.8 %1988: 99.8 %1989: 99.8 %1990: 99.8 %1991: 99.8 %1992: 99.8 %1993: 99.8 %1994: 99.8 %1995: 99.8 %1996: 99.8 %1997: 99.8 %1998: 99.8 %1999: 99.8 %2000: 99.8 %2001: 99.8 %2002: 99.8 %2003: 99.8 %2004: 99.8 %2005: 99.8 %2006: 99.8 %2007: 99.8 %2008: 99.8 %2009: 99.8 %2010: 99.8 %2011: 99.8 %2012: 99.8 %2013: 99.8 %2014: 99.8 %2015: 99.8 %2016: 99.8 %2017: 99.8 %2018: 99.8 %2019: 99.8 %2020: 99.8 %2021: 99.9 %2022: 99.9 %2023: 99.9 %2024: 99.9 %2025: 99.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 99.9% for share of children who have completed primary school in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in United Kingdom peaked at 99.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 99.8%, in 1981.

United Kingdom ranks 14th of 165 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 99.8% 99.8% 99.8% 9
1990s 99.8% 99.8% 99.8% 10
2000s 99.8% 99.8% 99.8% 10
2010s 99.8% 99.8% 99.8% 10
2020s 99.9% 99.8% 99.9% 6

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 11 Canada 99.9% compare
  2. 11 Czechia 99.9% compare
  3. 13 Mauritius 99.9% compare
  4. 15 Malaysia 99.8% compare
  5. 16 Slovakia 99.8% compare
  6. 16 Turkmenistan 99.8% compare

See the full ranking of 165 places →

More education data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who have completed primary school in United Kingdom?
Share of children who have completed primary school in United Kingdom was 99.9% 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 United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 99.8% in 1981.
How does United Kingdom rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
United Kingdom ranks 14th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this United Kingdom 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

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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.