Who is in primary school?

Click any country to see its gross primary enrollment ratio — enrollment as a share of the primary-school-age population.

or click the map

Primary school enrollment

40%85%110%

No data

Global average

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Highest

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Lowest

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Overview

Primary enrollment shows how close a country is to educating all its children. The gross ratio can exceed 100% where over-age or repeating pupils are counted. This map compares it everywhere.

Key facts

Most countries are near or above universal primary enrollment.
The lowest ratios are in conflict-affected and very poor countries.
Ratios above 100% reflect over-age and repeating pupils.

Common questions

What is the gross enrollment ratio?

Total enrollment in primary school, regardless of age, as a percentage of the official primary-school-age population. It can exceed 100% when older or repeating children are enrolled.

Why can it be above 100%?

Because it counts all pupils in primary school, including those older or younger than the official age, or repeating a grade.

Where does the data come from?

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics, compiled via Our World in Data.

Sources & methodology

Data from UNESCO (via Our World in Data), compiled via Our World in Data. Global figures are population-weighted across the countries that report this measure; countries without reliable recent data are shown as “no data”.

Last updated: 3 August 2026.