School enrollment, primary in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: School enrollment, primary was 99.1% in 2018. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, primary in Sri Lanka, 1977–2018
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % net.
Analysis
In 2018, school enrollment, primary in Sri Lanka stood at 99.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrollment, primary in Sri Lanka peaked at 99.9% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 78.5%, in 1977.
That places Sri Lanka 15th out of 186 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
School enrollment, primary in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % net | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 78.5% | — |
| 1986 | 98.2% | +25.1% |
| 2001 | 99.7% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 99.9% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 99.6% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 96.8% | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 97.2% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 96.5% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 96.2% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 95.4% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 93.1% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 94.7% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 94.9% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 95.2% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 96.4% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 97.3% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 98.9% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 98.9% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 99.1% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 99.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 94.5%, 1.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 99.1% is above the median for South Asia, which is 93.8%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School enrollment, primary in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +25.1% | 78.5% | 98.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 78.5% | 78.5% | 78.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 98.2% | 98.2% | 98.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 97.2% | 93.1% | 99.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 97.2% | 94.7% | 99.1% | 9 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school enrollment, primary in Sri Lanka?
- School enrollment, primary in Sri Lanka was 99.1% in 2018, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school enrollment, primary recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 2002.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, primary recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.5% in 1977.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for school enrollment, primary?
- Sri Lanka ranks 15th out of 186 countries with data for 2018.
- Is school enrollment, primary rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School enrollment, primary (% net). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music.