Share of population with no formal education in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of population with no formal education was 2.7% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population with no formal education in Sri Lanka, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population with no formal education in Sri Lanka is 2.7%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Sri Lanka peaked at 95.3% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2020.
That places Sri Lanka 59th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population with no formal education in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 95.3% | — |
| 1875 | 94.8% | -0.5% |
| 1880 | 94.2% | -0.6% |
| 1885 | 92.8% | -1.5% |
| 1890 | 90.7% | -2.3% |
| 1895 | 88.0% | -3.0% |
| 1900 | 85.0% | -3.4% |
| 1905 | 81.9% | -3.6% |
| 1910 | 75.9% | -7.3% |
| 1915 | 69.9% | -7.9% |
| 1920 | 65.2% | -6.7% |
| 1925 | 56.4% | -13.5% |
| 1930 | 51.1% | -9.4% |
| 1935 | 45.4% | -11.2% |
| 1940 | 41.1% | -9.5% |
| 1945 | 36.6% | -10.9% |
| 1950 | 34.0% | -7.1% |
| 1955 | 30.9% | -9.1% |
| 1960 | 28.0% | -9.4% |
| 1965 | 25.1% | -10.4% |
| 1970 | 16.4% | -34.7% |
| 1975 | 14.4% | -12.2% |
| 1980 | 12.1% | -16.0% |
| 1985 | 12.1% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 8.7% | -28.1% |
| 1995 | 7.8% | -10.3% |
| 2000 | 7.2% | -7.7% |
| 2005 | 5.1% | -29.2% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | -41.2% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2.7% | -10.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 95.0% | 94.8% | 95.3% | 2 |
| 1880s | 93.5% | 92.8% | 94.2% | 2 |
| 1890s | 89.3% | 88.0% | 90.7% | 2 |
| 1900s | 83.5% | 81.9% | 85.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 72.9% | 69.9% | 75.9% | 2 |
| 1920s | 60.8% | 56.4% | 65.2% | 2 |
| 1930s | 48.2% | 45.4% | 51.1% | 2 |
| 1940s | 38.9% | 36.6% | 41.1% | 2 |
| 1950s | 32.5% | 30.9% | 34.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 26.6% | 25.1% | 28.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 15.4% | 14.4% | 16.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 12.1% | 12.1% | 12.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 8.2% | 7.8% | 8.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.2% | 5.1% | 7.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 777,541 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Sri Lanka?
- Share of population with no formal education in Sri Lanka was 2.7% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with no formal education recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 95.3% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2020.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Sri Lanka ranks 59th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.