Primary School Enrollment Rate By Country 2026

Primary school enrollment rate measures the percentage of children entering the final grade of primary education relative to the population of the official age group for that grade. This indicator reveals how effectively education systems progress students through primary school and identifies where systemic challenges prevent children from reaching the final year. Understanding enrollment patterns at the final grade level provides crucial insights into educational efficiency and equity across nations.

Understanding the Enrollment Rate Metric

The primary school enrollment rate differs fundamentally from completion rates. While completion rates measure students who finish and pass the final grade, enrollment rates measure all students who enter that grade, regardless of whether they ultimately graduate. This distinction is critical for understanding what the data reveals about education systems.

An enrollment rate of 100% indicates that the entire age cohort designated for the final grade enters that grade. However, rates exceeding 100% are common and reveal important information about education system inefficiencies. When enrollment rates reach 120%, 130%, or higher, it means the number of students entering the final grade exceeds the official age cohort. This occurs because students who started school late, repeated grades, or progressed slowly now enter the final grade alongside on-time students. Rather than indicating success, high enrollment rates above 100% signal that many students have fallen behind their age-appropriate grade level.

Conversely, enrollment rates below 100% indicate that some children never reach the final grade. They may have dropped out earlier, never enrolled, or faced barriers preventing progression. Low enrollment rates reveal serious educational access and retention problems.

Primary School Enrollment Rate By Country 2026

Export

Excel (.xlsx) CSV Document PDF Document PNG Image

#	Country	Enrollment Rate 2026 Estimate (%) (%)
1	Turks and Caicos Islands TC	144.77%
2	Fiji FJ	124.94%
3	Vanuatu VU	121.14%
4	Cayman Islands KY	115.12%
5	Nauru NR	113.98%
6	Morocco MA	112.6%
7	Moldova MD	112.1%
8	Georgia GE	111.13%
9	Sierra Leone SL	110.26%
10	Tonga TO	109.41%
11	Saudi Arabia SA	109.22%
12	Puerto Rico PR	108.95%
13	Tuvalu TV	108.72%
14	Nepal NP	108.64%
15	Thailand TH	105.01%
16	Albania AL	104.27%
17	Venezuela VE	103.35%
18	Cook Islands CK	103.22%
19	Niue NU	102.29%
20	Vietnam VN	100.4%
21	Egypt EG	100.24%
22	Algeria DZ	99.77%
23	Kazakhstan KZ	99.68%
24	Samoa WS	98.68%
25	Kiribati KI	98.67%
26	Grenada GD	98.63%
27	Dominica DM	98.44%
28	Tokelau TK	98.03%
29	Armenia AM	97.68%
30	Uzbekistan UZ	97.25%
31	Gibraltar GI	97.2%
32	Saint Lucia LC	97.06%
33	Turkmenistan TM	96.75%
34	Jordan JO	96.74%
35	Hong Kong HK	96.71%
36	Marshall Islands MH	95.98%
37	Azerbaijan AZ	95.58%
38	Namibia NA	94.29%
39	Belize BZ	94.24%
40	San Marino SM	94.07%
41	Macau MO	93.6%
42	Maldives MV	93.58%
43	India IN	93.13%
44	Bhutan BT	93.05%
45	Cambodia KH	92.93%
46	Cuba CU	92.5%
47	Paraguay PY	92.18%
48	Kyrgyzstan KG	92.14%
49	Togo TG	91.97%
50	Tanzania TZ	91.71%
51	Mongolia MN	91.16%
52	Belarus BY	91.1%
53	Bahrain BH	90.74%
54	Barbados BB	90.67%
55	Guatemala GT	90.45%
56	Dominican Republic DO	87.25%
57	Malaysia MY	86.59%
58	Gambia GM	85.63%
59	Laos LA	84.73%
60	Bangladesh BD	83.85%
61	Zimbabwe ZW	83.68%
62	Mauritius MU	82.81%
63	Micronesia FM	81%
64	El Salvador SV	80.87%
65	Ivory Coast CI	79.67%
66	Cameroon CM	78.05%
67	Pakistan PK	77.75%
68	Philippines PH	77.35%
69	Comoros KM	71.9%
70	Andorra AD	70.01%
71	Honduras HN	68.54%
72	Malawi MW	66.11%
73	Seychelles SC	64.01%
74	Solomon Islands SB	62.95%
75	Syria SY	62.4%
76	Senegal SN	61.86%
77	British Virgin Islands VG	60.68%
78	Madagascar MG	59.97%
79	Ethiopia ET	49.99%
80	Rwanda RW	47.39%
81	Burkina Faso BF	47.39%
82	Niger NE	33.02%

Global Patterns in Primary School Enrollment

The 82 countries with available data show wide variation in primary school enrollment rates. Turks and Caicos Islands leads with 144.77% in 2024, reflecting a significant proportion of over-age students entering the final grade. Niue (102.29%), Fiji (124.94%), and Vanuatu (121.14%) also show enrollment rates well above 100%, indicating substantial numbers of students progressing through primary education at delayed rates.

At the lower end, Niger shows the lowest enrollment rate at 33.02%, meaning only about one-third of the official age cohort enters primary school's final grade. Ethiopia (49.99%), Burkina Faso (47.39%), and Rwanda (47.39%) also show enrollment rates below 50%, indicating that half or more of children never reach the final grade of primary education. These low rates reflect severe barriers to educational access and retention in these countries.

What High Enrollment Rates (Above 100%) Reveal

Countries with enrollment rates exceeding 100% face a paradox: while more students are entering the final grade than the official age cohort, this reflects educational system inefficiency rather than success. These students have taken longer to progress through primary school, often due to late school entry, grade repetition, or interrupted schooling.

High enrollment rates indicate several underlying issues. First, they suggest that many children start school late, perhaps due to poverty, lack of access, or cultural factors. Second, they reveal high grade repetition rates, where students repeat grades rather than progressing. Third, they may indicate interrupted schooling where children leave school temporarily and return later. While these students eventually reach the final grade, they do so at older ages than intended, suggesting inefficient use of educational resources and potential quality concerns.

What Low Enrollment Rates (Below 100%) Reveal

Countries with enrollment rates below 100% face more severe challenges. These rates indicate that substantial portions of the age cohort never reach primary school's final grade. In Niger, where only 33% of the age cohort enters the final grade, two-thirds of children either never enroll in primary school or drop out before reaching the final year.

Low enrollment rates reflect multiple barriers. Poverty forces families to withdraw children from school to work. Distance to schools, particularly in rural areas, prevents attendance. Gender discrimination limits girls' educational access. Conflict and political instability disrupt schooling. Inadequate school infrastructure, including lack of teachers, materials, and facilities, creates poor learning environments that discourage attendance. These factors combine to prevent most children from completing primary education.

Regional Disparities

Regional analysis reveals stark disparities in primary school enrollment. Small island nations like Turks and Caicos Islands, Niue, Fiji, and Vanuatu show high enrollment rates, though many exceed 100%, indicating delayed progression. These nations have achieved near-universal primary school access but face challenges with grade repetition and late entry.

Sub-Saharan African countries show the lowest enrollment rates. Niger, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Rwanda all show rates below 50%, indicating that half or more of children never reach primary school's final grade. These countries face the most severe educational access and retention challenges.

Middle-income countries show intermediate patterns. Morocco (112.60%), Syria (62.40%), and Senegal (61.86%) demonstrate varied outcomes, reflecting different levels of educational development and systemic challenges.

2026 Projections and Future Outlook

Projections for 2026 show modest changes from 2024 levels. Countries with high enrollment rates are expected to maintain similar patterns, while countries with low rates show slight improvements. However, these improvements are typically only 1-3 percentage points, suggesting that without significant policy interventions, current disparities will persist.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education globally, potentially affecting enrollment patterns through school closures, economic hardship, and learning loss. Recovery efforts and renewed investment in education infrastructure will be critical to improving enrollment rates in low-performing countries.

Primary School Enrollment Rate By Country 2026

Download

Excel (.xlsx) CSV PDF PNG

#	Country	Enrollment Rate 2024 (%) (%)	Enrollment Rate 2026 Estimate (%) (%)
1	Turks and Caicos Islands	132.42%	144.77%
2	Fiji	116.31%	124.94%
3	Vanuatu	113.38%	121.14%
4	Cayman Islands	106.46%	115.12%
5	Nauru	101.59%	113.98%
6	Morocco	106.37%	112.6%
7	Moldova	108.06%	112.1%
8	Georgia	103.76%	111.13%
9	Sierra Leone	99.2%	110.26%
10	Tonga	108.08%	109.41%
11	Saudi Arabia	99.36%	109.22%
12	Puerto Rico	83.09%	108.95%
13	Tuvalu	95.15%	108.72%
14	Nepal	112.23%	108.64%
15	Thailand	102.55%	105.01%
16	Albania	107.35%	104.27%
17	Venezuela	103.04%	103.35%
18	Cook Islands	97.66%	103.22%
19	Niue	117.24%	102.29%
20	Vietnam	100.59%	100.4%
21	Egypt	98.21%	100.24%
22	Algeria	102.42%	99.77%
23	Kazakhstan	94.4%	99.68%
24	Samoa	99.96%	98.68%
25	Kiribati	92.81%	98.67%
26	Grenada	97.47%	98.63%
27	Dominica	93.93%	98.44%
28	Tokelau	85%	98.03%
29	Armenia	98.21%	97.68%
30	Uzbekistan	97.69%	97.25%
31	Gibraltar	95.41%	97.2%
32	Saint Lucia	97.38%	97.06%
33	Turkmenistan	98.59%	96.75%
34	Jordan	97.05%	96.74%
35	Hong Kong	91.68%	96.71%
36	Marshall Islands	98.48%	95.98%
37	Azerbaijan	97.2%	95.58%
38	Namibia	88.56%	94.29%
39	Belize	94.22%	94.24%
40	San Marino	93.41%	94.07%
41	Macau	94.13%	93.6%
42	Maldives	93.76%	93.58%
43	India	94.49%	93.13%
44	Bhutan	86.54%	93.05%
45	Cambodia	90.99%	92.93%
46	Cuba	91.15%	92.5%
47	Paraguay	88.71%	92.18%
48	Kyrgyzstan	98.28%	92.14%
49	Togo	91.22%	91.97%
50	Tanzania	77.33%	91.71%
51	Mongolia	93.48%	91.16%
52	Belarus	95.77%	91.1%
53	Bahrain	94.11%	90.74%
54	Barbados	85.28%	90.67%
55	Guatemala	86.51%	90.45%
56	Dominican Republic	89.98%	87.25%
57	Malaysia	87.74%	86.59%
58	Gambia	81.98%	85.63%
59	Laos	87.25%	84.73%
60	Bangladesh	94.3%	83.85%
61	Zimbabwe	85.96%	83.68%
62	Mauritius	83.25%	82.81%
63	Micronesia	78.85%	81%
64	El Salvador	82.63%	80.87%
65	Ivory Coast	80.24%	79.67%
66	Cameroon	75.29%	78.05%
67	Pakistan	74.14%	77.75%
68	Philippines	91.45%	77.35%
69	Comoros	72.72%	71.9%
70	Andorra	67.35%	70.01%
71	Honduras	71.99%	68.54%
72	Malawi	70.14%	66.11%
73	Seychelles	94.22%	64.01%
74	Solomon Islands	70.45%	62.95%
75	Syria	60.13%	62.4%
76	Senegal	62.86%	61.86%
77	British Virgin Islands	46.42%	60.68%
78	Madagascar	60.71%	59.97%
79	Ethiopia	54.44%	49.99%
80	Rwanda	66.82%	47.39%
81	Burkina Faso	51.99%	47.39%
82	Niger	40.76%	33.02%

Methodology and Data Interpretation

This analysis uses UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) data on gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education. The gross intake ratio measures the total number of new entrants into the last grade of primary education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the population at the official entrance age to that grade.

The formula is: (Number of students entering final grade / Population of official age for final grade) × 100

This is a "gross" measure because it counts all students entering the final grade, including those who are over-age or under-age. Unlike "net" measures that count only on-time students, gross measures can exceed 100% when significant numbers of over-age students enter the grade.

The 2024 data reflects the most recent available information from UNESCO. The 2026 projections use linear regression analysis based on historical trends from 2019-2024, identifying the rate of change over recent years and projecting that trend forward. This methodology provides reasonable short-term forecasts while acknowledging that unexpected events could alter actual outcomes.

It is important to note that enrollment rates measure entry into the final grade, not completion or graduation. Students who enter the final grade may not complete it or pass final examinations. Therefore, enrollment rates should be interpreted alongside completion rates for a comprehensive understanding of primary education outcomes.

The data includes 82 countries with available information for 2024. Countries without 2024 data are excluded from this analysis. The variation in data availability reflects differences in national statistical capacity and reporting to UNESCO.