Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Maldives
Maldives: Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school was 53.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Maldives, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Maldives is 53.5%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 31.0% on the previous year and down 39.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Maldives peaked at 95.7% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 49.8%, in 1999.
Maldives ranks 109th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Maldives, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 49.8% | — |
| 2000 | 57.8% | +16.0% |
| 2001 | 58.2% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 61.8% | +6.1% |
| 2005 | 67.0% | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 71.7% | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 71.5% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 78.1% | +9.3% |
| 2009 | 77.7% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 82.3% | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 78.7% | -4.4% |
| 2012 | 91.9% | +16.8% |
| 2013 | 91.2% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 88.5% | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 94.7% | +7.0% |
| 2016 | 95.7% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 91.3% | -4.6% |
| 2018 | 89.8% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 88.1% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 66.5% | -24.5% |
| 2023 | 77.5% | +16.5% |
| 2024 | 53.5% | -31.0% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 53.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 67.3%, 79% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 53.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 49.2%, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.8% | 49.8% | 49.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 68.0% | 57.8% | 78.1% | 8 |
| 2010s | 89.2% | 78.7% | 95.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.8% | 53.5% | 77.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
More education data for Maldives
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3,474 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 8,838 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4,920 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 33,002 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 44,013 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -3.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0834 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Maldives?
- Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in Maldives was 53.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 95.7% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.8% in 1999.
- How does Maldives rank for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school?
- Maldives ranks 109th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children enrolled in pre-primary school rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Maldives 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 enrolled in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of pre-primary school age (typically 3–5 years old) who are enrolled in pre-primary education.