Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school was 96.8% in 2015. ▲ Rising
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in United Kingdom, 2000–2015
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 United Kingdom is 96.8%, measured in 2015. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.1% on the previous year and up 42.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in United Kingdom peaked at 96.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 55.3%, in 2004.
United Kingdom ranks 19th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 77.2% | — |
| 2001 | 77.9% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 78.4% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 72.8% | -7.1% |
| 2004 | 55.3% | -24.0% |
| 2005 | 67.8% | +22.5% |
| 2006 | 68.8% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 68.6% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 73.7% | +7.6% |
| 2009 | 72.9% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 73.7% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 76.1% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 76.8% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 79.6% | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 89.6% | +12.6% |
| 2015 | 96.8% | +8.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 96.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 87.1%, 1.1× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 96.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 87.9%, 1.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 71.3% | 55.3% | 78.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.1% | 73.7% | 96.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in United Kingdom?
- Share of children enrolled in pre-primary school in United Kingdom was 96.8% in 2015, 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 Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 96.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of children enrolled in pre-primary school recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.3% in 2004.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of children enrolled in pre-primary school?
- United Kingdom ranks 19th out of 178 countries with data for 2015.
- Is share of children enrolled in pre-primary school rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 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.