Pre-primary School Enrollment Rate by Country (2026)

Pre-primary enrollment rate measures the percentage of children in the official pre-primary age group who are enrolled in pre-primary education programs. This indicator reflects the extent to which countries are providing early childhood education opportunities and the level of access families have to pre-primary services. Understanding pre-primary enrollment rates is essential for assessing educational equity, identifying gaps in early childhood education provision, and monitoring progress toward universal early childhood education.

What Pre-primary Enrollment Means

Pre-primary enrollment refers to the actual number of children enrolled in organized pre-primary education programs, typically ages 3-5 years, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group. Pre-primary education includes both public and private programs, formal and informal settings, and full-time and part-time arrangements. High enrollment rates indicate that most children in the pre-primary age group are participating in early childhood education, while low rates suggest limited availability or accessibility of pre-primary services.

Pre-primary enrollment is a key indicator of early childhood education access and is closely related to school readiness and primary school completion rates. Countries with high pre-primary enrollment rates typically have well-developed early childhood education systems with widespread access to quality programs. Pre-primary enrollment is also influenced by factors such as cost, availability of programs, parental awareness of benefits, and cultural attitudes toward early childhood education.

Pre-primary School Enrollment Rate by Country (2026)

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#	Country	Pre-primary Enrollment Rate 2026 Estimate (%) (%)
1	Moldova MD	99.85%
2	Grenada GD	99.72%
3	France FR	99.51%
4	Saint Kitts and Nevis KN	99.47%
5	Israel IL	99.36%
6	Greece GR	99.25%
7	Hong Kong HK	99.12%
8	Costa Rica CR	99.07%
9	Cuba CU	99.03%
10	Aruba AW	98.69%
11	Andorra AD	98.63%
12	Peru PE	98.6%
13	Belarus BY	98.27%
14	San Marino SM	97.86%
15	Belgium BE	97.71%
16	Spain ES	97.6%
17	Norway NO	97.16%
18	Gibraltar GI	96.98%
19	United Kingdom GB	96.79%
20	Sweden SE	96.14%
21	Poland PL	96.12%
22	Iceland IS	95.97%
23	Japan JP	95.91%
24	Luxembourg LU	95.78%
25	South Korea KR	95.67%
26	Germany DE	95.21%
27	Denmark DK	94.74%
28	Singapore SG	94.7%
29	Latvia LV	94.69%
30	Portugal PT	94.17%
31	Lithuania LT	93.91%
32	Vietnam VN	93.52%
33	Malta MT	93.19%
34	Netherlands NL	93.19%
35	Slovenia SI	93.11%
36	Jamaica JM	92.64%
37	Albania AL	92.56%
38	Kiribati KI	91.94%
39	Italy IT	91.18%
40	Finland FI	91.08%
41	Mongolia MN	90.41%
42	Turks and Caicos Islands TC	89.28%
43	Macau MO	88.31%
44	Bulgaria BG	87.34%
45	Nauru NR	87.13%
46	Estonia EE	86.32%
47	Cook Islands CK	86.1%
48	Curaçao CW	85.88%
49	Austria AT	85.78%
50	Czech Republic CZ	85.34%
51	Monaco MC	85.29%
52	Australia AU	84.03%
53	Dominica DM	83.94%
54	Ukraine UA	83.26%
55	Hungary HU	82.96%
56	Palau PW	82.75%
57	Russia RU	82.54%
58	Uruguay UY	82.53%
59	New Zealand NZ	82.29%
60	United Arab Emirates AE	82.17%
61	Ireland IE	81.47%
62	Malaysia MY	81.12%
63	Slovakia SK	80.79%
64	Antigua and Barbuda AG	80.02%
65	Croatia HR	78.79%
66	Mauritius MU	78.72%
67	Montenegro ME	78.06%
68	Argentina AR	77.99%
69	Colombia CO	77.67%
70	Philippines PH	76.48%
71	Liechtenstein LI	76.32%
72	Brazil BR	75.32%
73	Romania RO	75.25%
74	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines VC	75.24%
75	Ghana GH	75.02%
76	Tuvalu TV	74.43%
77	Switzerland CH	73.83%
78	Bolivia BO	73.47%
79	Seychelles SC	72.95%
80	Chile CL	72.93%
81	Morocco MA	70.46%
82	Lebanon LB	70.16%
83	Kazakhstan KZ	69.57%
84	Ecuador EC	69.2%
85	Uzbekistan UZ	69.05%
86	Marshall Islands MH	68.41%
87	Venezuela VE	68.05%
88	Cape Verde CV	67.75%
89	Thailand TH	67.75%
90	Suriname SR	67.73%
91	Cyprus CY	67.72%
92	Saint Lucia LC	67.31%
93	Nicaragua NI	66.25%
94	Barbados BB	65.6%
95	Serbia RS	65.48%
96	Mexico MX	65.29%
97	El Salvador SV	64.74%
98	Guyana GY	64.65%
99	Haiti HT	61.57%
100	United States US	61.24%
101	Algeria DZ	61.17%
102	Dominican Republic DO	60.79%
103	Nepal NP	60.56%
104	Vanuatu VU	60.53%
105	Iran IR	59.81%
106	Kenya KE	57.7%
107	Panama PA	57.12%
108	India IN	56.69%
109	British Virgin Islands VG	55.82%
110	Maldives MV	53.45%
111	Sao Tome and Principe ST	53.26%
112	Brunei BN	53.17%
113	Palestine PS	52.51%
114	Guatemala GT	51.91%
115	Armenia AM	51.63%
116	Bahrain BH	51.24%
117	Indonesia ID	49.89%
118	Azerbaijan AZ	49.09%
119	Laos LA	48.65%
120	Türkiye TR	47.92%
121	Qatar QA	47.21%
122	Paraguay PY	45.83%
123	North Macedonia MK	45.18%
124	Sri Lanka LK	45%
125	Rwanda RW	44.71%
126	Gambia GM	43.58%
127	Kyrgyzstan KG	42.96%
128	Puerto Rico PR	42.73%
129	Belize BZ	42.28%
130	Gabon GA	42.18%
131	Tonga TO	41.61%
132	Bermuda BM	41.57%
133	Ethiopia ET	40.66%
134	Georgia GE	40.08%
135	Jordan JO	39.51%
136	Zimbabwe ZW	39.48%
137	Madagascar MG	37.41%
138	Sudan SD	36.78%
139	Cambodia KH	36.51%
140	Comoros KM	36.32%
141	Oman OM	36.01%
142	Fiji FJ	34.44%
143	Namibia NA	34.02%
144	Pakistan PK	33.85%
145	Solomon Islands SB	33.54%
146	Turkmenistan TM	31.98%
147	Bangladesh BD	31.72%
148	Bahamas BS	31.18%
149	Bhutan BT	30.86%
150	Kuwait KW	30.62%
151	Cameroon CM	30.42%
152	Nigeria NG	29.67%
153	Honduras HN	28.32%
154	Eritrea ER	28.22%
155	Togo TG	27.63%
156	Egypt EG	26.83%
157	Saudi Arabia SA	26.5%
158	Tanzania TZ	25.52%
159	Liberia LR	25.29%
160	Timor-Leste TL	25.19%
161	Niue NU	25%
162	Sierra Leone SL	24.97%
163	Equatorial Guinea GQ	24.09%
164	Tokelau TK	23.33%
165	Zambia ZM	22.92%
166	Samoa WS	22.68%
167	Micronesia FM	21.74%
168	Trinidad and Tobago TT	21.5%
169	Senegal SN	21.29%
170	Lesotho LS	20.58%
171	Tunisia TN	19.75%
172	Botswana BW	19.66%
173	Eswatini SZ	19.32%
174	South Africa ZA	18.42%
175	Angola AO	16.74%
176	Sint Maarten SX	15.98%
177	Papua New Guinea PG	15.97%
178	Uganda UG	14.45%
179	Benin BJ	12.94%
180	Bosnia and Herzegovina BA	12.05%
181	Syria SY	10.92%
182	Guinea GN	10.66%
183	Ivory Coast CI	10.17%
184	Congo CG	9.03%
185	South Sudan SS	8.77%
186	Myanmar MM	8.35%
187	Tajikistan TJ	8.12%
188	Burundi BI	8.11%
189	Libya LY	7.89%
190	Burkina Faso BF	7.54%
191	Niger NE	7.07%
192	Iraq IQ	6.53%
193	Mali ML	5.16%
194	Central African Republic CF	4.85%
195	Guinea-Bissau GW	4.32%
196	DR Congo CD	3.75%
197	Chad TD	1.78%
198	Yemen YE	1.32%

Global Patterns in Pre-primary Enrollment

Pre-primary enrollment rates vary significantly across countries, reflecting differences in early childhood education policy, investment, and accessibility. Developed countries typically show high enrollment rates, with many countries reporting rates above 80%, indicating substantial access to pre-primary education. Some countries like France, Greece, and Israel report enrollment rates exceeding 99%, demonstrating comprehensive early childhood education systems with near-universal access.

Developing countries show much greater variation in enrollment rates. Some middle-income countries have achieved high enrollment rates through targeted investments in early childhood education, while many low-income countries report enrollment rates below 30%, indicating limited access to pre-primary programs. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia show lower average enrollment rates, reflecting challenges in funding, infrastructure, and teacher availability for early childhood education.

Regional Disparities in Pre-primary Enrollment

Regional patterns reveal that countries with higher GDP per capita, stronger education systems, and greater gender equality typically have higher pre-primary enrollment rates. Countries with compulsory pre-primary education policies also tend to show higher enrollment rates, as legal requirements ensure broader access and enrollment. Urban areas typically show higher enrollment rates than rural areas, reflecting differences in program availability and accessibility.

European countries show particularly high enrollment rates, with most countries exceeding 80%. Latin American countries show mixed patterns, with some countries achieving high enrollment rates while others remain below 30%. Asian countries show significant variation, from very high rates in developed nations to low rates in least-developed countries.

Importance of Pre-primary Enrollment

Pre-primary enrollment is critical for ensuring that all children have access to early childhood education and the benefits it provides. Children who are enrolled in quality pre-primary programs show better school readiness, higher academic achievement, improved social-emotional development, and greater lifetime earnings. Pre-primary enrollment also promotes equity by providing disadvantaged children with early learning opportunities that help narrow achievement gaps.

High pre-primary enrollment rates are associated with better primary school completion rates, lower dropout rates, and improved educational equity. Countries that have prioritized early childhood education and achieved high enrollment rates have seen substantial improvements in overall educational outcomes and reduced educational disparities between socioeconomic groups.

2026 Projections and Methodology

Projections for 2026 show that pre-primary enrollment rates are expected to remain relatively stable from 2024 levels, with most countries maintaining their current enrollment rates. This suggests that without significant policy changes or increased investment in early childhood education, current disparities in pre-primary access will persist.

The 2026 estimates are calculated using linear regression analysis based on historical trends from 2018-2024. This statistical method identifies the rate of change over recent years and projects that trend forward to 2026. The methodology examines each country's historical pre-primary enrollment trajectory and applies the observed trend to estimate 2026 values. All projections are constrained to the 0-100% range to ensure realistic estimates. This approach assumes that current trends will continue, which may not hold if significant policy changes or external shocks occur.

Pre-primary School Enrollment Rate by Country (2026)

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#	Country	Pre-primary Enrollment Rate 2024 (%) (%)	Pre-primary Enrollment Rate 2026 Estimate (%) (%)
1	Moldova	99.85%	99.85%
2	Grenada	99.72%	99.72%
3	France	99.51%	99.51%
4	Saint Kitts and Nevis	99.47%	99.47%
5	Israel	99.36%	99.36%
6	Greece	99.25%	99.25%
7	Hong Kong	99.12%	99.12%
8	Costa Rica	99.07%	99.07%
9	Cuba	99.03%	99.03%
10	Aruba	98.69%	98.69%
11	Andorra	98.63%	98.63%
12	Peru	98.6%	98.6%
13	Belarus	98.27%	98.27%
14	San Marino	97.86%	97.86%
15	Belgium	97.71%	97.71%
16	Spain	97.6%	97.6%
17	Norway	97.16%	97.16%
18	Gibraltar	96.98%	96.98%
19	United Kingdom	96.79%	96.79%
20	Sweden	96.14%	96.14%
21	Poland	96.12%	96.12%
22	Iceland	95.97%	95.97%
23	Japan	95.91%	95.91%
24	Luxembourg	95.78%	95.78%
25	South Korea	95.67%	95.67%
26	Germany	95.21%	95.21%
27	Denmark	94.74%	94.74%
28	Singapore	94.7%	94.7%
29	Latvia	94.69%	94.69%
30	Portugal	94.17%	94.17%
31	Lithuania	93.91%	93.91%
32	Vietnam	93.52%	93.52%
33	Malta	93.19%	93.19%
34	Netherlands	93.19%	93.19%
35	Slovenia	93.11%	93.11%
36	Jamaica	92.64%	92.64%
37	Albania	92.56%	92.56%
38	Kiribati	91.94%	91.94%
39	Italy	91.18%	91.18%
40	Finland	91.08%	91.08%
41	Mongolia	90.41%	90.41%
42	Turks and Caicos Islands	89.28%	89.28%
43	Macau	88.31%	88.31%
44	Bulgaria	87.34%	87.34%
45	Nauru	87.13%	87.13%
46	Estonia	86.32%	86.32%
47	Cook Islands	86.1%	86.1%
48	Curaçao	85.88%	85.88%
49	Austria	85.78%	85.78%
50	Czech Republic	85.34%	85.34%
51	Monaco	85.29%	85.29%
52	Australia	84.03%	84.03%
53	Dominica	83.94%	83.94%
54	Ukraine	83.26%	83.26%
55	Hungary	82.96%	82.96%
56	Palau	82.75%	82.75%
57	Russia	82.54%	82.54%
58	Uruguay	82.53%	82.53%
59	New Zealand	82.29%	82.29%
60	United Arab Emirates	82.17%	82.17%
61	Ireland	81.47%	81.47%
62	Malaysia	81.12%	81.12%
63	Slovakia	80.79%	80.79%
64	Antigua and Barbuda	80.02%	80.02%
65	Croatia	78.79%	78.79%
66	Mauritius	78.72%	78.72%
67	Montenegro	78.06%	78.06%
68	Argentina	77.99%	77.99%
69	Colombia	77.67%	77.67%
70	Philippines	76.48%	76.48%
71	Liechtenstein	76.32%	76.32%
72	Brazil	75.32%	75.32%
73	Romania	75.25%	75.25%
74	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	75.24%	75.24%
75	Ghana	75.02%	75.02%
76	Tuvalu	74.43%	74.43%
77	Switzerland	73.83%	73.83%
78	Bolivia	73.47%	73.47%
79	Seychelles	72.95%	72.95%
80	Chile	72.93%	72.93%
81	Morocco	70.46%	70.46%
82	Lebanon	70.16%	70.16%
83	Kazakhstan	69.57%	69.57%
84	Ecuador	69.2%	69.2%
85	Uzbekistan	69.05%	69.05%
86	Marshall Islands	68.41%	68.41%
87	Venezuela	68.05%	68.05%
88	Cape Verde	67.75%	67.75%
89	Thailand	67.75%	67.75%
90	Suriname	67.73%	67.73%
91	Cyprus	67.72%	67.72%
92	Saint Lucia	67.31%	67.31%
93	Nicaragua	66.25%	66.25%
94	Barbados	65.6%	65.6%
95	Serbia	65.48%	65.48%
96	Mexico	65.29%	65.29%
97	El Salvador	64.74%	64.74%
98	Guyana	64.65%	64.65%
99	Haiti	61.57%	61.57%
100	United States	61.24%	61.24%
101	Algeria	61.17%	61.17%
102	Dominican Republic	60.79%	60.79%
103	Nepal	60.56%	60.56%
104	Vanuatu	60.53%	60.53%
105	Iran	59.81%	59.81%
106	Kenya	57.7%	57.7%
107	Panama	57.12%	57.12%
108	India	56.69%	56.69%
109	British Virgin Islands	55.82%	55.82%
110	Maldives	53.45%	53.45%
111	Sao Tome and Principe	53.26%	53.26%
112	Brunei	53.17%	53.17%
113	Palestine	52.51%	52.51%
114	Guatemala	51.91%	51.91%
115	Armenia	51.63%	51.63%
116	Bahrain	51.24%	51.24%
117	Indonesia	49.89%	49.89%
118	Azerbaijan	49.09%	49.09%
119	Laos	48.65%	48.65%
120	Türkiye	47.92%	47.92%
121	Qatar	47.21%	47.21%
122	Paraguay	45.83%	45.83%
123	North Macedonia	45.18%	45.18%
124	Sri Lanka	45%	45%
125	Rwanda	44.71%	44.71%
126	Gambia	43.58%	43.58%
127	Kyrgyzstan	42.96%	42.96%
128	Puerto Rico	42.73%	42.73%
129	Belize	42.28%	42.28%
130	Gabon	42.18%	42.18%
131	Tonga	41.61%	41.61%
132	Bermuda	41.57%	41.57%
133	Ethiopia	40.66%	40.66%
134	Georgia	40.08%	40.08%
135	Jordan	39.51%	39.51%
136	Zimbabwe	39.48%	39.48%
137	Madagascar	37.41%	37.41%
138	Sudan	36.78%	36.78%
139	Cambodia	36.51%	36.51%
140	Comoros	36.32%	36.32%
141	Oman	36.01%	36.01%
142	Fiji	34.44%	34.44%
143	Namibia	34.02%	34.02%
144	Pakistan	33.85%	33.85%
145	Solomon Islands	33.54%	33.54%
146	Turkmenistan	31.98%	31.98%
147	Bangladesh	31.72%	31.72%
148	Bahamas	31.18%	31.18%
149	Bhutan	30.86%	30.86%
150	Kuwait	30.62%	30.62%
151	Cameroon	30.42%	30.42%
152	Nigeria	29.67%	29.67%
153	Honduras	28.32%	28.32%
154	Eritrea	28.22%	28.22%
155	Togo	27.63%	27.63%
156	Egypt	26.83%	26.83%
157	Saudi Arabia	26.5%	26.5%
158	Tanzania	25.52%	25.52%
159	Liberia	25.29%	25.29%
160	Timor-Leste	25.19%	25.19%
161	Niue	25%	25%
162	Sierra Leone	24.97%	24.97%
163	Equatorial Guinea	24.09%	24.09%
164	Tokelau	23.33%	23.33%
165	Zambia	22.92%	22.92%
166	Samoa	22.68%	22.68%
167	Micronesia	21.74%	21.74%
168	Trinidad and Tobago	21.5%	21.5%
169	Senegal	21.29%	21.29%
170	Lesotho	20.58%	20.58%
171	Tunisia	19.75%	19.75%
172	Botswana	19.66%	19.66%
173	Eswatini	19.32%	19.32%
174	South Africa	18.42%	18.42%
175	Angola	16.74%	16.74%
176	Sint Maarten	15.98%	15.98%
177	Papua New Guinea	15.97%	15.97%
178	Uganda	14.45%	14.45%
179	Benin	12.94%	12.94%
180	Bosnia and Herzegovina	12.05%	12.05%
181	Syria	10.92%	10.92%
182	Guinea	10.66%	10.66%
183	Ivory Coast	10.17%	10.17%
184	Congo	9.03%	9.03%
185	South Sudan	8.77%	8.77%
186	Myanmar	8.35%	8.35%
187	Tajikistan	8.12%	8.12%
188	Burundi	8.11%	8.11%
189	Libya	7.89%	7.89%
190	Burkina Faso	7.54%	7.54%
191	Niger	7.07%	7.07%
192	Iraq	6.53%	6.53%
193	Mali	5.16%	5.16%
194	Central African Republic	4.85%	4.85%
195	Guinea-Bissau	4.32%	4.32%
196	DR Congo	3.75%	3.75%
197	Chad	1.78%	1.78%
198	Yemen	1.32%	1.32%

Methodology and Data Sources

This analysis uses UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) data on pre-primary enrollment rates, defined as the percentage of children in the official pre-primary age group enrolled in pre-primary education. The data reflects 2024 actual rates (the most recent available), with 2026 projections calculated using linear regression analysis based on historical trends from 2018-2024.

Using modelled estimates ensures methodological consistency across all countries included in this analysis, though it is important to note that these are statistical estimates rather than direct observations. This approach allows for meaningful comparisons between countries with different data collection practices and pre-primary education systems.