Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school was 82.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in United Arab Emirates, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Arab Emirates recorded 82.2% for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and up 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in United Arab Emirates peaked at 84.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 55.5%, in 1999.
United Arab Emirates ranks 57th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 55.5% | — |
| 2000 | 71.2% | +28.4% |
| 2002 | 66.5% | -6.6% |
| 2003 | 66.3% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 60.8% | -8.3% |
| 2006 | 59.5% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 68.8% | +15.6% |
| 2019 | 63.6% | -7.5% |
| 2020 | 71.8% | +12.8% |
| 2021 | 71.0% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 77.1% | +8.6% |
| 2023 | 84.8% | +10.0% |
| 2024 | 82.2% | -3.2% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 82.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 87.1%, 94% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 82.2% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 51.5%, 1.6× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 55.5% | 55.5% | 55.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 64.9% | 59.5% | 71.2% | 5 |
| 2010s | 66.2% | 63.6% | 68.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 77.4% | 71.0% | 84.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More education data for United Arab Emirates
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 106,178 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 305 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 119,159 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 125,307 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 894,302 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 586,477 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 5.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0534 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in United Arab Emirates?
- Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in United Arab Emirates was 82.2% 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 84.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.5% in 1999.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 57th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children enrolled in pre-primary school rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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.