Share of children who have completed primary school in Yemen
Yemen: Share of children who have completed primary school was 74.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children who have completed primary school in Yemen, 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 Yemen stood at 74.8%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Yemen peaked at 74.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 27.4%, in 1981.
That places Yemen 135th 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 Yemen, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 27.4% | — |
| 1982 | 28.4% | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 29.3% | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 30.4% | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 31.4% | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 32.4% | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 33.5% | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 34.6% | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 35.7% | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 36.8% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 37.9% | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 39.0% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 40.3% | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 41.5% | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 42.8% | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 44.0% | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 45.2% | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 46.3% | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 47.4% | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 48.4% | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 49.5% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 50.6% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 51.8% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 52.8% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 54.0% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 55.3% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 56.6% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 57.9% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 59.3% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 60.5% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 61.7% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 62.6% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 63.6% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 64.5% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 65.5% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 66.5% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 67.4% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 68.2% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 69.2% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 70.1% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 71.1% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 72.0% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 73.0% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 73.9% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 74.8% | +1.2% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 74.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 57.7%, 1.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 74.8% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 96.6%, 77% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31.5% | 27.4% | 35.7% | 9 |
| 1990s | 42.1% | 36.8% | 47.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.6% | 48.4% | 59.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.0% | 60.5% | 69.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.5% | 70.1% | 74.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More education data for Yemen
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 229,234 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19,507 (2016)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 16,813 (2016)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.92 million (2016)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.90 million (2016)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.15 % change on previous year (2013)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2016)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1215 units per person (2016)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who have completed primary school in Yemen?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Yemen was 74.8% 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 Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 74.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.4% in 1981.
- How does Yemen rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Yemen ranks 135th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Yemen 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.