Survival rate to Grade 5 of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Survival rate to Grade 5 of primary education, both sexes was 97.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Survival rate to Grade 5 of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka, 1974–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 97.9% for survival rate to grade 5 of primary education, both sexes in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, survival rate to grade 5 of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka peaked at 99.2% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 66.0%, in 1974.
That places Sri Lanka 39th out of 165 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Survival rate to Grade 5 of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 66.0% | — |
| 1975 | 74.4% | +12.7% |
| 1976 | 78.5% | +5.5% |
| 1978 | 94.0% | +19.7% |
| 1981 | 89.9% | -4.4% |
| 1982 | 91.3% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 91.0% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 92.4% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 92.7% | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 93.4% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 95.4% | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 90.8% | -4.8% |
| 1990 | 94.4% | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 92.2% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 97.8% | +6.1% |
| 2002 | 98.1% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 98.7% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 98.6% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 97.3% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 96.6% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 98.5% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 98.3% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 99.2% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 98.4% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.8% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 98.7% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 97.9% | -0.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 97.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 94.5%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 97.9% is above the median for South Asia, which is 81.9%, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 78.3% | 66.0% | 94.0% | 4 |
| 1980s | 92.1% | 89.9% | 95.4% | 8 |
| 1990s | 93.3% | 92.2% | 94.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 98.3% | 97.8% | 98.7% | 4 |
| 2010s | 98.2% | 96.6% | 99.2% | 9 |
| 2020s | 97.9% | 97.9% | 97.9% | 1 |
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 survival rate to grade 5 of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka?
- Survival rate to grade 5 of primary education, both sexes in Sri Lanka was 97.9% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest survival rate to grade 5 of primary education, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 99.2% in 2014.
- What is the lowest survival rate to grade 5 of primary education, both sexes recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.0% in 1974.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for survival rate to grade 5 of primary education, both sexes?
- Sri Lanka ranks 39th out of 165 countries with data for 2022.
- Is survival rate to grade 5 of primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Survival rate to Grade 5 of primary education, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release