Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) was 94.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Primary completion rate, total in Sri Lanka, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of relevant age group.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 94.5% for primary completion rate, total in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary completion rate, total in Sri Lanka peaked at 107.4% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 43.2%, in 1976.
Sri Lanka ranks 91st of 189 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of relevant age group | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 66.2% | — |
| 1972 | 82.2% | +24.1% |
| 1974 | 74.1% | -9.8% |
| 1975 | 71.7% | -3.2% |
| 1976 | 43.2% | -39.8% |
| 1977 | 59.4% | +37.6% |
| 1978 | 75.4% | +26.8% |
| 1979 | 78.1% | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 84.7% | +8.3% |
| 1981 | 92.0% | +8.7% |
| 1982 | 86.2% | -6.4% |
| 1983 | 85.4% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 90.3% | +5.7% |
| 1985 | 92.2% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 92.8% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 92.3% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 94.1% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 93.9% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 97.3% | +3.6% |
| 1992 | 97.0% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 99.6% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 103.2% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 107.4% | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 99.8% | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 94.7% | -5.0% |
| 2006 | 94.0% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 92.2% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 88.4% | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 90.1% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 96.1% | +6.6% |
| 2011 | 98.4% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 95.3% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 95.5% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 94.4% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 94.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 96.3% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 97.6% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 94.5% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 93.5% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 96.7% | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 95.2% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 94.5% | -0.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 94.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.5%, 98% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 94.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 94.0%, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | -39.8% | 71.7% | 43.2% |
| 1977 | +37.6% | 43.2% | 59.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 68.8% | 43.2% | 82.2% | 8 |
| 1980s | 90.0% | 84.7% | 94.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 96.9% | 93.9% | 99.6% | 4 |
| 2000s | 96.2% | 88.4% | 107.4% | 8 |
| 2010s | 95.8% | 94.4% | 98.4% | 9 |
| 2020s | 95.0% | 93.5% | 96.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More aid effectiveness data for Sri Lanka
- Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Austria 743,046 current US$ (2023)
- Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Belgium 104,629 current US$ (2023)
- Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Canada 10.44 million current US$ (2023)
- Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, European Union institutions 28.32 million current US$ (2023)
- Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Switzerland 3.69 million current US$ (2023)
- Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Germany 26.12 million current US$ (2023)
- Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, France 5.01 million current US$ (2023)
- Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, United Kingdom 9.57 million current US$ (2023)
- Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Italy 441,093 current US$ (2023)
- Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Japan 76.61 million current US$ (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary completion rate, total in Sri Lanka?
- Primary completion rate, total in Sri Lanka was 94.5% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary completion rate, total recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 107.4% in 2002.
- What is the lowest primary completion rate, total recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.2% in 1976.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for primary completion rate, total?
- Sri Lanka ranks 91st out of 189 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary completion rate, total rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Primary completion rate, or gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education, is the number of new entrants (enrollments minus repeaters) in the last grade of primary education, regardless of age, divided by the population at the entrance age for the last grade of primary education. Data limitations preclude adjusting for students who drop out during the final year of primary education.